“Sharp Stick” is a 2022 indie drama featuring the story of a Melissa, a filmmaker who has gone silent for more than a decade. She is best known for the infamous series of HBO, Girls. With her new film, she is looking to explore the boundaries of a woman’s desire, her naivety, and her agency.
The film had its World Premiere at the infamous Sundance Film Festival, indicating a shift back to indie-style film for “Dunham”, who plays a supporting role in the movie. Sharp Stick is a book equipped with daring, awkward, and intimate films that should be watched in order to analyze the assumptions of sexuality, power, and the overall identity.
Synopsis
The film features the main character of “Sarah Jo”, a 26 year old woman currently based in Los Angeles. Sarah does not have any sexual background nor does she have an intimate relationship background that may be considered worthy. This lack of experience is mirrored in the character of her mother, who is quirky and overbearing. Her family consists of a socially self absorbed sister named “Treina” as well.
Their relationship becomes a hidden romance. This for Sarah Jo is more than a romance and a formative moment, specifically the start of her blooming–a personal awakening, but there is a shift. The romance ultimately concludes, leaving her emotionally untethered, and then further exposed inescapably craving. Driven by bewilderment, she embarks on a nontraditional path of self-exploration, first turning to adult films then in a checked list quest of sexual experiences.
Instead of slowly being consumed by despair, Sarah Jo instead becomes fixated on a singular goal to emotionally “catch up” on milestones, like sex, she has socially missed. These days, she logs into dating apps, earns money for modeling, captures her experiences on tape, and keeps a detailed journal. Proposed as free falling into pandemonium, this is in fact a self-searching portrait in Dunham’s eyes, earnest and disturbing at the same damn time. Thus, we see Sarah Jo undergo trial and error, embarrassment and elation as she begins to define her identity – within and beyond her sexuality.
Characters & Performances
Sarah Jo is played by Kristine Froseth, who gives the character a doll-like intensity and innocence that is both captivating and unsettling. Her performance reflects Froseth’s strong grasp on the character’s yearning and the eventual empowerment she attains. Froseth reconciles the contradictions of Sarah Jo’s personality: a blend of resolute and innocent, brave and timid.
As Josh, the married father of two who is the focus of Sarah Jo’s early infatuation, Jon Bernthal brings the character to life. Even though Josh is embroiled in an unethical affair, Bernthal’s charm and conflicted energy gives life to a character who, while unscrupulous, is much more than a simple cad. He brings complexity to a role that could have easily been played as a caricature of suburban male temptation.
Alongside directing and writing the film, Lena Dunham plays Josh’s visibly pregnant wife, Heather. Though her performance is short, it offers a glimpse into a life that is not fully intact and is still captivating. Her emotional and messy confrontation of Sarah Jo is both startling and poignant, revealing Dunham’s writing prowess for messy, emotional clashes.
Marilyn, Sarah Jo’s mother, is played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. She is an eccentric and flamboyant woman more concerned with her retreating youth than with tempering her daughter’s well-being. Leigh brings both humor and tension into the household dynamic, blending familial tension and comedy.
Taylour Paige portrays social media influencer Treina, whose life revolves around cosmetic gains and follower numbers. Contrast this with Sarah Jo’s sheltered existence, and Treina becomes an inadvertent reflection of societal modern anxieties around visibility, comparison, and worth.
Themes and Symbolism
At its core, Sharp Stick is a film about the mature feminine experience of sexuality, including how it is shaped, expressed, or often policed by society. Sarah Jo’s story is not framed as victimhood or a cautionary tale in this case. It is more of a layered approach to desire, autonomy, and the process of self-education.
The film further explores how trauma—both physical and emotional—can distort a person’s understanding of intimacy. Sarah Jo’s intimacy issues stem from her traumatic surgery and the way her family perceives her. Dunham’s portrayal of sex, especially the awkwardness of it, is more blunt. It is raw and grounded, whether the viewer deems it cringey, awkward, or uncomfortable because of the emotional intimacy it reveals.
Another theme is the impact that pornography and modern technology have on the development of one’s identity. Adult videos and performers serve as a source of arousal for Sarah Jo, but they also act as a form of guide, as if they were slow teaching materials. Her identity formation is checklist-based, and she sorts her intimacy into educational components. This comment on the overload of media and information highlights a reality that is quite the opposite of intimacy.
Family dynamics greatly affect identity as well. Treina and Marilyn show two sides of somebody’s dysfunctional identity, one is denial and the other a form vanity. Sarah Jo’s lack of family support emblematizes a societal void when it comes to assisting youth in navigating complex adult experiences. Sarah Jo’s education, most of which she must undertake in isolation, is rendered ironically solitary because of her closest relationships failing to grasp her reality until it is far too late.
Direction and Style
Dunham’s intimate and unflinching style features a handheld lens that captures awkward voids, ungraceful movement, as well as personal spaces that other directors cut away from. Emotionally honest is her style, as she focuses on narrative essence, neglecting polish. Deadpan comedic drama and psychical surrealism, the tone of the film, flows freely.
In stark contrast to the rest of the movie, the world of relationships and sex is depicted with an unflattering, harsh light. This emphasizes the contrast between expectation and reality, and combined with the clinical light, underscores the stark difference between Sarah Jo’s adult fantasies and the reality of her mundane life.
The film was criticized and praised in equal measure, which comes as no surprise given the emotionally multifaceted nature of the narrative. Reviewers and audiences have praised the film for its emotional frankness, boldly diving into the uncharted waters of the coming-of-age story. However, others have criticized the film for its stylistic fragmentation as well as its discomforting nature, and overall lack of polish. No single reviewer has given a consensus, and it is safe to say that Dunham’s goal was to make a film that evokes strong emotional responses, whether it is rage or compassion, and most importantly, empathy.
Sarah Jo does not fit the mold of a traditional hero or heroine, and her story does not align with the standardized arc of a coming-of-age narrative. She does not achieve a perfect romantic relationship or life sim during the course of the movie. Instead, she comes to terms with her reality during the movie, something more profound, which is the journey of gaining autonomy, self-awareness, and a sharper grasp of her emotional needs. While the narrative is not a typical hero’s journey, it bears authenticity and honesty.
Conclusion
Sharp Stick is a bold and self-reflective film that explores sexuality and identity in detail. With a protagonist who is at once relatable and one-of-a-kind, Lena Dunham tells a story that is raw, sincere, and at times uncomfortable. While difficult to digest, this film does not aim to be easy. It deliberately shows discomfort, explores complexity, and confronts women breaking free from stereotypes, especially those who embark on their journey with a timid whisper.
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