In Jade Halley Bartlett's directorial debut, "Miller's Girl," an intended thought-provoking drama appears to have missed the mark, earning criticism for its portrayal of a relationship between a teen girl and her teacher. Set in Tennessee, the new film stars Jenna Ortega as Cairo Sweet, an 18-year-old high school student with a crush on her English teacher, Jonathan Miller, played by Martin Freeman. The film attempts to walk a delicate line, exploring mutual affections in a context that demands careful treatment, according to CultureMap Austin.
Ortega's performance, however, does manage to shine through. The actress seems to effectively harness the complexity of her character, with an acting stature burgeoned by roles in the "Scream" series and Netflix's "Wednesday." Martin Freeman's depiction of Mr. Miller also garners some praise for portraying a conflicted teacher with finesse. The cast delivers "uniformly good performances" despite the narrative's shortcomings, as per CultureMap Austin.
Criticism extends further to the film's handling of gender and power dynamics, with the male teachers shown as the passive recipients of their students' advances. This portrayal casts Cairo and her friend Winnie, played by Gideon Adlon, as the aggressors, which has become a particularly uncomfortable theme for viewers. It's not lost on commentators that the film is produced by comedic actor Seth Rogen, "so there were some adults in the room enabling its questionable decisions," as reported by KTVZ.
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