UNITED KINGDOM – 2013 – 111 MIN – COLOUR - FEATURE - IN ENGLISH
A FILM BY STUART MURDOCH
FEATURING EMILY BROWNING, OLLY ALEXANDER, HANNAH MURRAY
GOD HELP THE GIRL is a musical film written and directed by Stuart Murdoch of Belle & Sebastian.
Eve’s a troubled young girl who also has a talent for singing and songwriting, which in the darkest of times, becomes her way forward. Music leads her to Glasgow where she meets James and Cassie, two kindred spirits each at crossroads of their own. Together they dive into the city’s music scene as their lives and lyrics intertwine. What follows is an uplifting story of renaissance, friendship and romance over a long, dream-like summer.
DIRECTOR
Stuart Murdoch is the lead singer and principal songwriter of the Scottish band Belle and Sebastian. As it turned out, each member of the band played a role in its creation as well. Murdoch is presently working with the group writing new songs for an album to be recorded and released in 2014.
3/4 stars “GOD HELP THE GIRL is about aspirations and goals, musical or otherwise."
- GLOBE AND MAIL
“GOD HELP THE GIRL hews close to the Belle and Sebastian aesthetic. It's vaguely twee, in a proto-Wes Anderson way, naïve and most of all filled with wit and whimsy."
- EXCLAIM!
“...it’s not a stretch to see why Stuart Murdoch, a founding member of Belle and Sebastian, has turned to moviemaking. GOD HELP THE GIRL, the new feature film derived from a musical project Murdoch began in 2004 — an album of songs of the same name was released in 2009 — was essentially a Belle and Sebastian side project."
- TORONTO FILM CRITICS ASSOCIATION
"If you enjoy musicals and are looking for something a little lighter for the weekend, this is a great choice."
- TORONTO FILM SCENE
"If the songs aren’t top-tier Belle and Sebastian compositions, they’re still awfully good, suggesting lost Ronettes B-sides.”
- TORONTOIST
“...GOD HELP THE GIRL is a fun film with great performances."
- WYLIE WRITES