Sharp Stick doesn’t actually do anything for sex positivity or female empowerment, even though it tries to.
Sharp Stick doesn’t do what it sets out to do at all. Instead of expressing female empowerment and sex positivity, it degrades women in uncomfortable situation after uncomfortable situation. The main character, Sarah Jo, comes off a lot younger than she is supposed to be, which in turn makes a lot of what is happening feel gross and disgusting — not to mention the fact that how she acts is one hundred percent unbelievable. The first half isn’t perfect, but it is the second half that truly ruins this movie.
Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth) is quirk, naive, and hard to connect with. Her mother and her sister, who she lives with, are very open about their sexuality, right from the opening scene of Sharp Stick. So to try to believe that she would be in the dark about sexual exploration, let alone sex in general, is impossible. Because of this it completely takes viewers out of the film.
When she first starts the affair with the father (Jon Bernthal) of the child she babysits, it instantly feels gross. Sure, she is said to be 26 years old, but the way she dresses and acts makes her feel like a young teenager. This makes the scene where they first have sex quite uncomfortable — along with a few other reasons — and it just gets worst the longer it goes on.
About an hour in the movie takes a turn and Sarah Jo fully dives into unlocking every single aspect of the sexual experience. Basically just when you think things couldn’t get any worse, they do. This whole second half was not necessary. Sharp Stick could have capped as an hour long shorter film, or even added a few scenes to make it a tad longer, and it would worked better.
There is a side plot here where she becomes obsessed with a porn star. In order to avoid spoilers I won’t go into detail, but there is a whole off shoot story that just is not necessary. It feels bizarre and completely unnecessary as well. This is all a bummer because it feels like there is something here that could have worked, but it is not believable at all.
Lena Dunham wrote and directed this movie, as well as has a small role in it. It feels like she is trying to make this a sex positive movie with a sprinkle of female empowerment, but it doesn’t do that at all. If anything, it makes Sarah Jo look like a young ignorant girl who was manipulated by a scumbag of a man, and in order to get him back she degrades herself consistently.
If you are looking for a film with positive messages about sex, female empowerment, and finding yourself, watch Good Luck To You, Leo Grande instead. Trust me.
Rating: 1 out of 5
About Sharp Stick
Sensitive and naive 26-year-old Sarah Jo lives in a Los Angeles apartment complex with her influencer sister and her disillusioned mother. She is also a wonderful caregiver to Zach, a child with an intellectual disability. Eager to lose her virginity, Sarah Jo embarks on an exhilarating affair with Zach’s dense but affable father, Josh. In the wake of the doomed relationship, Sarah Jo grapples with heartbreak by dedicating herself to unlocking every aspect of the sexual experience that she feels she’s missed out on for so long.
Sharp Stick played at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival and Fantasia 2022.