When celebrated feminist writer Caitlin Moran wrote ‘How to Build a Girl’ her fictionalised true story, there was little doubt that this best seller would become an appealing film as well. Starring Beanie Feldstein as Johanna, a teenager who wants to be a writer from a working-class family living on an estate on Wolverhampton and directed by Coky Giedroy, script written by Moran herself, here was a hit in the making. Of course, no one expects the COVID-19, which meant the film getting picked up by Amazon and straight onto a streaming service. You have to wonder; how great this would have been to see in a cinema.
‘How to Build a Girl’ catapults us straight into Johanna’s world. She’s just a normal teenager until her brother convinces her to apply to be a rock critic for a weekly national paper. After a few stumble blocks (she reviews the ‘Annie’ soundtrack trying to get the writing gig) and a complete personal make over, she transforms herself into Dolly Wilde and her career takes off.
Taking her new life in her stride, she makes friends with bands and charms her colleagues, even getting close to a famous singer, John Kite, who she does fall in love with, it’s inevitable, she is 16. At first she wants to expand and stretch her writing to include features, she wants to grow but her eagerness to appease and becomes famous overtakes this progress. Her behaviour getting erratic, so much so her laid family step in. But Dolly is force to be reckoned with. The fact that she can hide behind this new persona is her way of thinking she can do anything she wants, forgetting who she is leaving in her wake. Drinking and possible drug taking aren’t focus here. Sex is included but is not the main aim of Johanna’s game or rather Dolly’s, it is not priority but a perk of her new self and adventure. Coming of age is, in my opinion an overused description for whenever a teenager goes through ‘an experience’ signifying that they have grown up.
It’s been 20 years since Coky Giedroyc has directed a feature film
and oh how I wish she’d made more films. The 20-year gap is insane, even if it
has been filled with plenty of TV work, I just can’t believe is that long a
gap, Coky Giedroyc
has an eye for understated dramatics which matches the energy of this story so well.
The film is set in the early 90s and just like that decade, you are aware of
the time period but not left feeling like you’ve had an unwanted nostalgia trip
which can be the case for some period films.
Giedroyc, Feldstein and Moran are a trio at work here, creating an
enjoyable film with life lessons, familiar dilemmas and comedic moments of
bliss and the best part is that yes, it is a story about a girl breaking into
the male dominated music world. Its frustratingly believable and exactly what I
wanted to see. So rare it is that there’s story featuring a female character
where she’s trying to get into an industry where it isn’t about fashion, beauty
or something to do with motherhood or childcare, THIS is kind of story should
be seen more and normalised.