New Waterford Girl

Moonie Potter (15) feels anything but at home in the mining town of New Waterford on the east coast of Canada. She thinks that her elder sisters have already come to terms with a village life under the all-seeing eye of the Virgin Mary, who concentrates especially on maintaining the chastity of teenagers. Her parents regard their youngest daughter’s rebellious tendencies with suspicion. The only one who seems to appreciate how she is different is her teacher Sweeney (Andrew McCarthy) who is also an outsider in the barren and windy village. But leaving is not really an option for a respectable girl from New Waterford. When Lou Benzao moves into the house next door with her mother and little brother, Moonie is dragged along by her rebellious energy. Having just arrived from the Bronx, Lou sees the charm of the village and wants to belong there. With Moonie she manages to win the trust of the local girls by flooring ‘unfaithful’ boys. Things do seem to go the way her father once told her: the guilty shall be floored. In the meantime, they work on a plan to help Moonie escape from the village. New Waterford Girl is a successful black comedy in all respects: through the beautiful and desolate setting, the strong, subdued acting (not least by débutante Balaban as Moonie), the sharp dialogues, but above all the empathy with all the villagers, be they rebel or not.