Yes, God, Yes (2020)

What makes Yes, God, Yes special is how it turns a potentially cringey coming-of-age premise into something genuinely tender, sharply funny, and quietly liberating. Karen Maine captures the fall-of-2000 Catholic-school vibe with uncanny specificity—AOL awkwardness, rumor-fueled hallways, and the particular kind of guilt that can make even a normal thought feel like a thunderbolt from heaven—while never mocking the kids at its center. Natalia Dyer is terrific as Alice, letting you feel the push-and-pull between curiosity and shame in a way that’s both relatable and disarmingly human, and the film’s humor lands because it comes from recognition, not cruelty. It’s frank about sexuality and religious pressure, so it won’t be for everyone, but if you want a warm, honest, surprisingly sweet comedy-drama about growing up and learning to forgive yourself, this one’s absolutely worth your time.

Yes, God, Yes is clearly aiming to be a funny, compassionate coming-of-age story about teenage desire colliding with Catholic guilt, and Natalia Dyer sells that awkward, panicky headspace really well. The problem is the film often looks and moves a bit flat, stretching a sharp premise into a feature that can feel slow, predictable, and oddly “safe” for something meant to be provocative. If you want a more daring satire of religious repression or a story that digs deeper into messy consequences, you may find it too tidy and convinced of its own point. But if you’re in the mood for a gentle, mildly edgy early-2000s nostalgia piece with an empathetic lead and a few solid laughs, it’s an easy watch.