A coming of age story can take a number of routes when doing its thing. Some opt to really get raunchy, relying on sex to sell.
Others focus on the emotional journey of a teenager. Few are able to meld the two cohesively, since there’s usually a high art/low art divide that gets in the way.
This week, Yes God Yes is the kind of coming of age movie that manages to thread that needle. Now, there are a handful of bumps along the way, as well as an inconsistent tone, but the work of Natalia Dyer, as well as the genuine heart on display, rules the day.
The film is a mix of comedy and drama, set in the early 2000s. Sixteen-year-old Alice (Dyer) has always been a good Catholic girl in the Midwest, but that’s about to change.