The Diary of a Teenage Girl review: Poignant, truthful and hilarious

Director: Marielle Heller; Screenwriter: Marielle Heller; Starring: Bel Powley, Alexander Skarsgård, Kristen Wiig; Running time: 102 mins; Certificate: 18

"What's the point of living if nobody loves you, nobody sees you, nobody touches you?"

Based on Phoebe Gloeckner's novel, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a mesmerising journey into the dreams, anxieties and impulses of an aspiring teenage artist growing up in 1970s San Francisco. Boasting powerful performances from its lead stars, wonderfully creative direction and a story that will have you howling with laughter and recoiling with horror, it's a film that really resonates.

Bel Powley is magnificent as Minnie, a 15-year-old girl with a penchant for drawing penises and a growing desire to have her first sexual experience. An affair with her mother Charlotte's (Kristen Wiig) boyfriend Monroe (Alexander Skarsgård) helps to allay some of her anxieties, but paves the way for new ones and the potential destruction of her already fragmented family unit.

Marielle Heller's script and direction takes us close to the hearts of the characters, never judging them despite some of the unpleasant and illegal acts that take place. Instead, it probes their motivations and allows us to understand (if not condone) the psychological impulses that lead to such behaviour. The film's only notable flaw comes with the introduction of ineffective subplots that shift the focus away from the central storyline, distracting rather than embellishing the core narrative that hooks us in.

As an exploration of the insecurities that swamp our adolescence, it's as relevant now regardless of its authentically recreated 1970s setting. Bel Powley is remarkably assured in a very testing role that frequently strips the character bare - literally and figuratively. As her mother and lover, Wiig and Skarsgård are also perfect, forming fascinating dynamics with Minnie that unfold with just the right degree of melodrama. If there's justice, the trio should be in the running when the awards season comes around.

Boasting powerful performances from its lead stars, wonderfully creative direction and a story that will have you howling with laughter and recoiling with horror, it's a film that really resonates.

While the portrayals are utterly convincing, the film's visual nature forms a fascinating contrast by bringing Minnie's sketches to life around her. These childlike drawings offer an insight into her turbulent mind and also help to juxtapose the central tussle between her child self and increasingly dominant adult self. It's an unflinching yet compelling transition that manages to avoid the usual rites-of-passage storytelling clichés.

Searingly truthful in content and dazzlingly imaginative in form, The Diary of a Teenage Girl is a candid and funny gem that deserves to be treasured.