Yes, God, Yes (2019)
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A sexually curious high school student navigates the complexities of desire and religious repression during a spiritual retreat.
The story
In the fall of 2000, Alice is a curious junior at a strict Midwestern Catholic high school where she is taught that any sexual activity outside of procreation is a sin. After a rumor surfaces about her involvement in a sexual act, she is prevented from serving at Mass. Seeking to return to the path of righteousness, Alice joins a spiritual retreat. While there, she bonds with a senior leader named Chris and struggles with her internal desires and the external pressures of her religious environment, all while trying to navigate the rumors surrounding her.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Set in the fall of 2000, Alice is a junior at a strict Midwestern Catholic high school. After a rumor about her 'tossing the salad' spreads, she attends a spiritual retreat to regain her standing. At the retreat, she bonds with Chris, a senior leader, but also discovers she can pleasure herself using her phone. She eventually witnesses Nina, a popular senior, engaging in sexual acts in the woods. After a falling out with her best friend Laura and a confrontation with her classmate Wade, Alice catches Father Murphy masturbating to a pornographic video on his computer. She later meets Gina, a lesbian bar owner, who counsels her on the fear of damnation. On the final day, Alice gives a speech about honesty. Back at school, she confesses to Father Murphy that she saw a sex video; he assigns her a heavy penance, but she chooses to go home and masturbate to a scene in Titanic.
- First release year
- 2019
- Runtime (minutes)
- 78
- Production countries
- United States
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Karen Maine
- Writers
- Karen Maine · writer; Karen Maine · director
- Cast and characters
- Natalia Dyer · Alice; Timothy Simons · Father Murphy; Wolfgang Novogratz · Chris; Francesca Reale · Laura; Susan Blackwell · Mrs. Veda; Parker Wierling · Wade; Alisha Boe · Nina; Donna Lynne Champlin · Gina
- Genres
- coming-of-age; comedy-drama; sex comedy-drama; teen comedy-drama
- Themes
- sexual repression; religious hypocrisy; adolescent development; identity
- Tone and mood
- sensitive; dramedy
- Setting
- A Midwestern Catholic high school and a retreat campground in the fall of 2000.
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; religious; independent; teen
- Source material / true-story basis
- 2017 short film of the same name
- Content notes
- erotic
- Reception
- The film received generally favorable reviews, with critics praising Natalia Dyer's performance and Karen Maine's sensitive writing. It was named one of the 'Best of SXSW 2019' films by The Hollywood Reporter.
- Reported review scores
- Metacritic · score: 71 · scale: 100 · review count: 19
- Awards and nominations
- special jury prize · best ensemble · win
- Production trivia
- It is Karen Maine's directorial debut.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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