Yes, God, Yes: Film Review

I had seen high praise for Yes, God, Yes on Twitter and I’m pleased to report that this coming-of-age comedy-drama is an enjoyable watch with a captivating lead performance from Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer.

Dyer plays Alice, a teenager who attends a devout Catholic school in America’s Midwest in the early 00s. After an innocent AOL chat turns raunchy, Alice discovers masturbation and her sexual desires are awakened. She has to reconcile these urges with her faith at a mysterious religious retreat, where she is dogged by a rumour that she performed a sexual act on a fellow classmate.

It is very rare for me to wish a film was longer but Yes, God, Yes, which whips by in less than 80 minutes, really leaves you wanting more. I loved the concept and enjoyed watching Alice’s journey, with her starting as a naive 16-year-old, who has very limited sexual knowledge and no experience, to her exploring her desires and urges and battling feelings of religious guilt to finding a place of acceptance. I was hoping it would go a little further, be bolder, and push the concept into naughtier territory, but Karen Maine‘s project is still amusing to watch. It made me smile a lot and laugh out loud a few times, but I think it could have been even funnier.

The movie is led by a sweet and charming performance from Dyer, who really gets away with playing a teenager. Her work is subtle and smart. She has some top support from Wolfgang Novogratz as Chris, the subject of her desire, Timothy Simons as the school’s priest and boss of the retreat, and Alisha Boe as Nina, one of the supervisors.

I doubt Catholics will be particularly thrilled by the subject matter but the religion and the devout characters are mostly treated with respect and aren’t ridiculed too harshly, although it does get the satire treatment.

I wanted more from Yes, God, Yes. I loved the premise, the performances and the coming-of-age arc, but it didn’t fully hit the spot for me.

Available for digital platforms from Monday 17th August