Few things are more personal than one’s religious beliefs and masturbation, representing opposing extremes of the sacred and the profane.
Few things have been historically considered lower than self-pleasure, and few higher than the pursuit of God.
Karen Maine’s 2020 debut feature film Yes, God, Yes attempts to reconcile the two as valid facets of human nature, particularly of growing up.
The trope of Catholic guilt is one that has been prominent in every form of media, especially in film.
It can be seen in the gritty, bombastic bravado of Mean Streets, or in the irreverent magical realism of Dogma.
However, where Yes, God Yes creates a unique niche for itself that doesn’t retread past territory is in its specificity.
The plot of the film can easily be described in a brief sentence without leaving out any necessary information: “A Catholic teenager discovers masturbation.” Maine excels in brevity, yes (the…
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