• About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
The Wellesley News -
  • News and Features
    • Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
      Students With Medically Restricted Diets Struggle to Eat On Campus
    • Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
      Students find new ways to celebrate Diwali
    • Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
      Changing COVID-19 regulations impact students’ mental health
    • News
      • News in Brief
      • Nation & World
      • President’s Corner
      • Senate Report
    • Features
      • Alumnae Spotlight
      • Eye on Science
      • Faculty Focus
      • LGBTQIA+ Column
  • Opinions
    • Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
      Wellesley, why can’t you meet our dietary needs?
    • The block system is a joke
      The block system is a joke
    • Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
      Spineless nonpartisanship: how the Girl Scouts convinced me they no longer care about girls
    • Staff Editorial
    • Letters to the Editor
    • The Elephant in the Room
  • Arts
    • Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
      Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester
    • Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
      Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart
    • “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
      “Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded
    • Arts In The News
    • Reviews
    • Music Peek
  • Health and Wellness
    • No image
      Athletic impacts of Covid-19
    • No image
      A new kind of PE
    • No image
      Maintaining wellness as the cold sets in
    • Athlete of the Week
    • Boston Sports Update
    • The Vegan Digest
    • The SHE Corner
  • Miscellanea
    • No image
      Remote students experience existential crises; change class years in email signatures
    • President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
      President’s Column: The Butterfly Effect
    • Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
      Your next on-campus romance isn’t going to work out
    • The Artichoke
    • The Dose
    • The Olive Branch
    • Multimedia
      • Galleries
      • Infographics
      • Videos
By Anna Lieb Arts, ReviewsNovember 23, 2020

“Yes, God, Yes” breathes new life into Netflix’s coming-of-age lineup

Photo courtesy of Vertical Entertainment.

I watched “Yes, God, Yes” soon after its Oct. 22 Netflix release, curious to see Natalia Dyer star following her iconic “Stranger Things” role. I enjoyed the movie and quickly recommended it to a friend, who asked me, “Isn’t that the movie about a Catholic girl who masturbates?” Indeed, “Yes, God, Yes” deals unabashedly with themes of faith and sexuality, which earns it its R rating. But the film has too much heart and soul to be simply categorized as a raunchy coming-of-age flick. 

In the film, set in 2000, teenager Alice attends a strict Catholic high school in a who-knows-where Midwestern town. Alice’s school is the type where sex-ed is rebranded as a “morality class,” in which students are taught that any sex outside of “one man, one woman and one marriage” is sinful. Constant judgment from her peers and admonition from authority figures makes Alice feel guilty about her emerging sexuality. Tense scenes brimming with anxious energy convey Alice’s unease over small moments of sexual exploration, like when she rewinds to a steamy scene in “Titanic” or asks about sex in AOL chat rooms. 

When rumors spread that Alice “tossed the salad” of another student, she is swiftly ostracized by her classmates and even her teachers. With nowhere left to turn, Alice attends one of her school’s retreats in the hopes of finding peace with herself and her sexuality. However, her experience only reveals the hypocrisy of the church and makes her feel lonelier than ever. In the end, Alice learns that she must be honest to herself and embrace her own identity, not the church’s restrictive doctrines.

From the opening shots of a high school with white cinderblock walls, shiny linoleum flooring and harsh LED lighting, “Yes, God, Yes” feels grounded in reality. Even though I have not had a day of religious education in my life, I felt Alice’s confusion, angst and isolation. The film was written and directed by Karen Maine, who was strongly inspired by her own experience growing up in Iowa. Maine’s personal connection to the film likely contributes to this sense of intimacy with Alice and her struggle for self-discovery. 

“Yes, God, Yes” feels refreshingly authentic, especially compared to similar movies that are popular on Netflix now. Other titles that feature life as a teenage girl, such as “To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before” or “The Half of It,” aim to inspire that relatable heartfelt effect in their audience. However, these films fall short because they retain the artificial veneer that plagues the teen film genre. I appreciate their attempts at new perspectives with “diverse” characters, but ultimately these films feel constrained by clichés of the genre in a way that “Yes, God, Yes” does not. Arguably, “Yes, God, Yes” does not follow the spirit of the “teen film genre” at all. Regardless, I appreciate its compelling yet understated portrayal of teen life. 

Perhaps the reason why “Yes, God, Yes” feels like both a continuation of the coming-of-age tradition and a departure from the genre is because it addresses the same issues with a new framework. Sexuality in the film is a symbol of identity and self, in contrast with societal institutions (namely, the church). From the movie’s outset, authority figures describe sex as an act for others — solely for a spouse and for God, to make a child in God’s image. Alice feels so trapped by this Catholic sex narrative that she refuses to accept herself. This restraint is closely tied to her community at school and at the religious retreat; in fact, one of the few times in the film when she can be honest with herself and genuinely connect with others is when she physically escapes from the retreat and, ironically, finds sanctuary in a dive bar down the road. 

As Alice takes ownership of her sexuality, she learns that sex (read: masturbation) can belong completely to herself, and that her sexuality is not beholden to the church. Along the way, she develops a sense of identity and independent thought that frees her from the restrictive institutions of the church and her community’s expectations. For the first time, she considers what it could mean to live her own life: whether it be trying sushi, masturbating or attending college outside of her home state. 

“Yes, God, Yes” serves up familiar messages about independence and self-discovery through this lens, offering a fresh take on tried-and-true coming-of-age tropes. The application of these themes to topics as personal and raw as sexuality, in opposition to institutions as established and venerated as religion, gives “Yes, God, Yes” an extra sense of urgency and unflinching honesty. The movie’s tone can perhaps be captured in Alice’s succinct realization: “The truth is, we’re all just trying to figure out our shit.”

Share on

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • Google +
  • LinkedIn
  • Email
Previous articleSix 2020 Book Releases You Should Read Right Now
Next article“The Queen’s Gambit” is really as good as people say it is

You may also like

Music Performance Courses Adapt to an Altered Semester

Ben Wheatley’s adaptation of “Rebecca” fails to deliver compared to its classic counterpart

“Dash & Lily” Find Love, Stranded

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Email Newsletter

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

Top Articles

Sorry. No data so far.

Recent Tweets

Tweets by @Wellesley_News

The independent student newspaper of Wellesley College since 1901.

Sign up to receive our weekly digest in your inbox

* indicates required

  • About
  • Editorial Board
  • Advertise
  • Join Us
  • Archives
COPYRIGHT © 2021 THE WELLESLEY NEWS
Back to top