Sharp Stick (Sundance '22)
Being a fan of Girls and connecting with Lena Dunham’s work I expected to love Sharp Stick, her recent writing / directing project. Unfortunately, it ended up being a letdown for me because at this point as a consumer and target audience I expect more from Lena than a sophomoric bro dramedy about a 26-year-old woman’s coming of age story alongside her sexuality.
Quick plot overview does contain spoilers: After having an emergency hysterectomy at seventeen Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth) has since felt out of touch with her age and body. Now a naïve 26-year-old, still living at home with her wannabe influencer sister Treina (Taylour Paige), and her mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh), Sarah Jo doesn’t fit in with their cool LA vibe. She wears dowdy clothes, no dating or any social life, and has different life goals being an enthusiastic hardworking caregiver to Zach (Liam Michel Saux), a child with down syndrome. To take back her life she has an affair with Zach’s juvenile stay at home dad, Josh (Jon Bernthal). This relationship opens her up to sex and porn, figuring out her favorite porn star is Vance Leroy (Scott Speedman). Thinking that Josh legitimately loves her she is heartbroken when he betrays her to save his marriage. Losing her job and sense of self she downward spirals into blaming her inexperience for Josh’s rejection. To ensure this never happens again, Sarah Jo decides to do sex acts corresponding with every letter in the alphabet with random strangers. Her idol Vance Leroy ends up helping her realize she needs to love herself and embrace everything that makes her unique because that is beautiful and real. Emphasizing that Sarah Jo’s worth within a relationship isn’t tied to her sexual experience, so be in the moment with someone, and do what feels true to her.
As a whole this film felt empty to me. Especially the scenes when she is going through the various sex acts corresponding with the alphabet, and one note. Yes, I get it is with a bunch of strangers obviously creating an emotional disconnect, and at the same time a false sense of superiority for Sarah Jo. These scenes are crucial because they are exploring her wound and every insecurity, the depths of the dark place. We scratched the surface of that. This made it hard for me to get through. I kept checking on and off how much time was left. The progression of these sexual escapades should have been much more dynamic, nuanced, with the tension rising. Ultimately the film rests in a safe place not making any new statement within the genre.
Just read Bad Behavior, a collection of short stories about sex, love, and obsession by Mary Gaitskill.