SummaryIn a god-fearing small town in 1960s Oklahoma, bespectacled and reclusive teen Iris endures the booze-induced antics of her mother and daily doses of bullying from her classmates. She finds solace in Maggie, the charismatic and enigmatic new girl at school, who hones in on Iris’s untapped potential and coaxes her out of her shell. When Maggie’s m... Read More
Directed By:Martha Stephens
Written By:Shannon Bradley-Colleary
To the Stars
Metascore
Mixed or Average
60
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
My Score
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Top Cast
Metascore
Mixed or Average
60
60% Positive
9 Reviews
9 Reviews
40% Mixed
6 Reviews
6 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 27, 2020
83
To the Stars seems downcast, at first glance, but it serves as a gentle, lovely reminder that one true friendship, even forged amid adversity, can be enough to keep you looking skyward.
Apr 7, 2020
80
A simple story celebrating the importance of showing resilience and goodness in the face of intolerance, To The Stars never shouts to make its points. All the better that it forces you to lean in so you can really hear.
Apr 7, 2020
70
Director Martha Stephens' atmospheric period piece is in many ways its own planet: The world it conjures is a woman's world — not a world that women created or rule, but one where their longings, dissatisfactions and sorrows are center stage, and most of the story's men and boys look on from the periphery, when they're not lashing out.
Apr 24, 2020
63
In segments brutal and unforgiving, Stephens gives the viewer glimpses of the kind of emotional and physical abuse Maggie is subjected to—beaten by her dad, unsupported by her kindly but helpless mother, told by religious figures in the past that her homosexuality can be “fixed.”
May 28, 2020
60
The period trappings – which must have cost a bomb – are lush and smartly deployed without being heavy-handed, and the two young leads are very watchable.
Apr 23, 2020
50
It’s always nice to see characters break free, but you need to care whether they do. One insurmountable problem with this story is that Iris just isn’t interesting enough and certainly not developed enough either as a character or in terms of the performance.
Apr 7, 2020
40
To the Stars needn’t have taken itself so seriously, but the fact that it ultimately does is exactly what turns it from a potentially charming, bittersweet fable to a pretentiously overblown yet undercooked Amerindie soap opera.
User score
Generally Favorable
6.8
56% Positive
5 Ratings
5 Ratings
44% Mixed
4 Ratings
4 Ratings
0% Negative
0 Ratings
0 Ratings
May 14, 2020
7
A touching, entertaining coming of age story about a teenage outcast in 1950s small town Oklahoma who has trouble fitting in until she strikes up a transformative friendship with a newly arrived big city girl. While the film has its share of cliches (especially in the last half hour), it's also chock full of surprises, warmth and incisive humor. Exquisitely filmed in black and white with a fine cast, smart writing and an atmospheric score, this latest offering from director Martha Stephens recalls such releases as "The Last Picture Show" and "Desert Hearts" but with a narrative and sensibilities all its own. It may be a little-known film, but it's definitely a heartwarming charmer, now available on first-run online streaming.
Production Company:
- Northern Lights Films
- Foton Pictures
- Prowess Pictures
- Rockhill Studios
Release Date:Apr 24, 2020
Duration:1 h 49 m
Awards
Cinetopia Film Festival
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
OUT at the Movies Int'l LGBT Film Fest
• 1 Win & 1 Nomination
Sundance Film Festival
• 1 Nomination
