''Sharp Stick'' is a 2022 American comedy film written, directed, and produced by Lena Dunham. It stars Kristine Froseth, Jon Bernthal, Luka Sabbat, Scott Speedman, Dunham,

Ebon Moss-Bachrach Ebon Moss-Bachrach (born March 19, 1977) is an American actor best known for playing the role of David Lieberman in ''The Punisher'' and Desi Harperin in ''Girls''. Since 2022, Moss-Bachrach has played Richard "Richie" Jerimovich in the drama s ...

Taylour Paige Taylour Dominique Paige-Angulo (born October 5, 1990) is an American actress and dancer. She is best known for her role as Ahsha Hayes in the VH1 sports drama series '' Hit the Floor'', and has gained recognition for her performances in the fi ...

, and Jennifer Jason Leigh. The film premiered at the

Sundance Film Festival The Sundance Film Festival (formerly Utah/US Film Festival, then US Film and Video Festival) is an annual film festival organized by the Sundance Institute. It is the largest independent film festival in the United States, with more than 46,66 ...

on January 22, 2022, and was released theatrically in the United States on July 29, 2022, by Utopia. It received mixed reviews from critics. It was released on VOD on August 16, 2022.

Premise

26-year-old babysitter Sarah Jo, who had a

radical hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures. Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may be ...

at age 15, loses her virginity to her employer, Josh, a married man.

Cast

* Kristine Froseth as Sarah Jo * Jon Bernthal as Josh * Luka Sabbat as Arvin * Scott Speedman as Vance Leroy * Lena Dunham as Heather *

as Yuli *

as Treina * Jennifer Jason Leigh as Marilyn *

Tommy Dorfman Tommy Dorfman (born May 13, 1992) is an American actress, best known for playing Ryan Shaver in the Netflix series ''13 Reasons Why'' (2017). Early life and education Dorfman was born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to a ...

as Tali * Janicza Bravo as Mercedes

Production

In April 2020, Lena Dunham moved from London to Silver Lake, Los Angeles, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. She passed the time watching a number of films from the 1970s, including ''

Belle de Jour Belle may refer to: * Belle (''Beauty and the Beast'') * Belle (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Belle (surname), a list of people Brands and enterprises * Belle Air, a former airline with headquarters in Tirana, Albania * ...

'', ''

A Woman Under the Influence ''A Woman Under the Influence'' is a 1974 American drama film written and directed by John Cassavetes. The story follows a woman (Gena Rowlands) whose unusual behavior leads to conflict with her blue-collar husband (Peter Falk) and family. It rec ...

'', '' Remember My Name'', and '' An Unmarried Woman''. The films, as well as the impact of a

hysterectomy Hysterectomy is the surgical removal of the uterus. It may also involve removal of the cervix, ovaries (oophorectomy), Fallopian tubes (salpingectomy), and other surrounding structures. Usually performed by a gynecologist, a hysterectomy may b ...

, motivated Dunham to write, direct, and star in ''Sharp Stick''. "It was about processing my life. And then, obviously, it becomes about the characters — and not about you at all." After receiving the script, Jon Bernthal and Jennifer Jason Leigh were immediately on board to star.

, however, was initially hesitant with joining the cast: "If I'm being honest. I was like, 'Don't you think this character was written as a white person?" Dunham convinced Paige to star by telling her that she had written the part with her in mind. With an all-female production crew, filming took place in secret in

Atwater Village Atwater Village is a neighborhood in the 13th district of Los Angeles, California. Much of Atwater Village lies in the fertile Los Angeles River flood plain. Located in the northeast region of the city, Atwater borders Griffith Park and Silver L ...

and Eagle Rock, Los Angeles, in early 2021. According to lead actress Kristine Froseth, "There was a good energy all around. We had an amazing intimacy coordinator. Everything was choreographed — no surprises." In March 2021, the film was presented to buyers at the 71st Berlin International Film Festival. In August 2021,

was confirmed to star. Dunham's husband

Luis Felber Luis Delfin Attawalpa Saul Felber (born 9 June 1986) is a British-Peruvian musician. Born in Winchester, England, to a Peruvian mother and a British father, Felber spent his earliest years in Peru and Chile before moving back to Britain at the ...

composed the musical score.

Release

The film premiered virtually at the

2022 Sundance Film Festival The 2022 Sundance Film Festival took place from January 20 to 30, 2022. Due to COVID-19 pandemic protocol it was to have been a hybrid festival, but on January 5, 2022 it was announced that the in-person components would be scrapped in favor o ...

on January 22. In an interview, Dunham said "There are many greater tragedies than me not getting to see my movie premiere but I was so excited for my cast to get to see it together. We did it on such a small scale, and everyone really brought everything to it. It was such a harkening back to how I started. But we're planning a Zoom party. I guess people Zoomed into my wedding — and they'll Zoom into my premiere." In February 2022, Utopia acquired the film's distribution rights. It was released in theaters on July 29, 2022.

Reception

References

External links

* {{Lena Dunham American independent films Films directed by Lena Dunham 2020s English-language films 2022 independent films 2020s American films