What happens when a girl who lives in a stuffy town in the American Midwest and attends a Catholic school there, begins to discover her body and sexuality? Natalie Dyer and Francesca Reale show us in the charming film Yes, God, Yes.
Yes, God, Yes – THE STORY IN BRIEF
Alice is a lovely teenager. Just like her narrow-minded classmates, she is sexually inexperienced. Unlike her friends, however, Alice is very open-minded. Moreover, she is curious about her physical development as a woman and the feelings that go with it.
The school and above all Father Murphey teach the young people that sex has nothing to do with fun and joy. Following the old church teachings, he tries to convince the pupils that sex only serves the purpose of procreation.
However, Alice doesn’t want to be controlled by these antiquated rules and morals of the school and suburb. And so this leads her to cause one faux pas after another. Alice will be the centre and cause of many rumors and controversies at school and in the “Kirkos” bible camp. Even her best friend Laura turns away from her more and more.
But Alice is very smart. She stands by her personal development and independence. Furthermore, Alice is curious and strives for self-determination and freedom. Including the freedom to learn intimate things. She holds up a moral mirror in front of the eyes of the others, making the prevailing, sanctimonious pseudo-morality clear to them.
NATALIE DYER AS ALICE
Natalia Dyer plays the perky Alice in an extremely authentic, empathetic, and personable manner. It’s hard to believe that the actress, whom we know from the Netflix series “Stranger Things” or “Hannah Montana The Movie” was 25 at the time of production. She effortlessly slips into the role of a teenager.
FRANCESCA REALE AS LAURA
Laura is almost always at Alice’s side. Francesca Reale plays her best friend. We also already know her from Stranger Things. Aged 26, she nevertheless also performs the typical behavior of a teenager convincingly.
Yes, God, Yes – THE Review
Natalia Dyer, Francesca Reale and the whole cast play on a wonderfully charming level, without loud tones or exaggerations. The humor of Yes, God, Yes is in the depth of the film. The joke is to find between the lines and in many details.
The story of Yes, God, Yes plays in the autumn of 2000. Smartphones and tablets did not exist yet, but big Nokia mobiles, with strong vibration. As old-fashioned as these technical devices seem today, the moral concepts and rules of Father Murphey and the Catholic school seem so too.
Yes, God, Yes does not accuse or raise the moral index finger. Rather, the film says: I am not perfect. Yes, I make mistakes, and you make them too. But it doesn’t matter. That’s ok.
Thus, the movie pays homage to the freedom of youth and to growing up and discovering oneself.
Yes, God, Yes is a small pearl of the film business. Unfortunately, due to Covid-19, the film did not make it to the big screen. But Yes, God, Yes is now available on DVD and Amazon. We give the title “Particularly Valuable.” Therefore, this well worth seeing film gets 9 out of 10 points from us.
Text: Marco Kokkot
Pics: Vertical Entertainment
