Girls Town. 1996. USA. Directed by Jim McKay. Screenplay by McKay, Denise Casano, Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, Anna Grace. With Taylor, Harris, Grace, Aunjanue Ellis. 4K digital restoration by IndieCollect, with support from the HFPA Trust, Donald A. Pels Charitable Trust, IndieCollect donors, and Fellow Citizen, Inc.; courtesy of Jim McKay. World premiere. 90 min.
The winner of the Filmmaker’s Trophy for best dramatic film at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, Girls Town offers a vivid portrayal of irreverent young women coming of age. One of the earliest indie features to deal with the secret shame of rape, the film follows its feisty protagonists on a zigzag path to empowerment as spontaneous acts of revenge give way to deeper understanding and more profound gestures. The screenplay was created by Jim McKay in collaboration with cast members Lili Taylor, Bruklin Harris, and Anna Grace. Taylor has become one of the great actors of her generation and costar Aunjanue Ellis was recently nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for King Richard. Girls Town also features standout performances by Guillermo Diaz, Michael Imperioli, Stephanie Berry, Tom Gilroy, and John Ventimiglia, and an all-female soundtrack featuring Queen Latifah, PJ Harvey, Roxanne Shanté, Salt-N-Pepa, and others.