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''Virgin'' is a 2003 American
drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super-g ...
written and directed by
Deborah Kampmeier Deborah Kampmeier is an American film director, producer, screenwriter and acting teacher best known for her films "Split," (2016), '' Hounddog'' (2007), and ''Virgin'' (2003). Deborah began her career in theater as an actress after training at ...
in her
feature directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. Starring
Elisabeth Moss Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actor. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led ''Vulture'' to name her the ...
,
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
, and
Daphne Rubin-Vega Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
, the film follows a Baptist teenager who, after discovering she is pregnant with no memory of having had sex, comes to believe that she is carrying the child of God. ''Virgin'' premiered at the
Los Angeles Film Festival The LA Film Festival was an annual film festival that was held in Los Angeles, California, and usually took place in June. It showcased independent, international, feature, documentary and short films, as well as web series, music videos, episod ...
on June 14, 2003, and was theatrically released in the United States on September 3, 2004. Despite mixed reviews from critics, Moss was singled out for praise for her performance. At the 19th Independent Spirit Awards, Moss was nominated for Best Female Lead, and Kampmeier was nominated for the
John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after ac ...
.


Plot

17-year-old Jessie lives in an unnamed blue-collar town with her parents and younger sister, Katie. Though she was raised
Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...
by her religious family, she is rebellious and has fallen into habits of drinking and shoplifting. One night at a church dance, Jessie goes off to the woods with her crush, Shane. Unaware that Shane has put a
date rape drug A date rape drug is any drug that incapacitates another person and renders that person vulnerable to sexual assault, including rape. The substances are associated with date rape because of reported incidents of their use in the context of two pe ...
into her drink, Jessie gets drunk and passes out. Shane sexually assaults her while she’s unconscious. Some time after Jessie regains consciousness, she finds herself pregnant. With no memory of having had sex, she believes that she is carrying a child of God. She is shunned by her family—and eventually the whole community—when word of her claim spreads.


Cast

*
Elisabeth Moss Elisabeth Singleton Moss (born July 24, 1982) is an American actor. She is known for her work in several television dramas, earning such accolades as two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards, which led ''Vulture'' to name her the ...
as Jessie Reynolds *
Robin Wright Robin Gayle Wright (born April 8, 1966) is an American actress. She has won a Golden Globe Award and a Satellite Award, and has received eleven Emmy Award nominations for her work in television. Wright first gained attention for her role in t ...
as Mrs. Reynolds *
Daphne Rubin-Vega Daphne Rubin-Vega ( Vega; born November 18, 1969) is a Panamanian-American actress, dancer, and singer-songwriter. She is best known for originating the roles of Mimi Marquez in the Broadway musical ''Rent'' and Lucy in the Off-Broadway play ''J ...
as Frances *
Socorro Santiago Socorro Santiago is an American actress who has made occasional appearances in ''Law & Order'' and a recurring role on ''All My Children'' as Isabella Santos from 1993 to 2004. Santiago was born in New York City to a Puerto Rican mother and Me ...
as Lorna *
Peter Gerety Peter Gerety (born May 17, 1940) is an American actor. He is best known as Judge Daniel Phelan in ''The Wire'' (2002–2008). Career Gerety is a veteran of stage, screen and television. In early 1992, he performed to critical acclaim on Broadway ...
as Mr. Reynolds *
Stephanie Gatschet Stephanie Lucile Gatschet (born March 16, 1983 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania) is an actress, who has appeared on the soap operas ''Guiding Light'' (as Tammy Winslow) and ''All My Children'' (as Madison North). Early life and education As a chi ...
as Katie Reynolds *Charles Socarides as Shane *Sam Riley as Michael * Casey Wilson as girlfriend (uncredited)


Production

The film was shot in 21 days on
digital video Digital video is an electronic representation of moving visual images (video) in the form of encoded digital data. This is in contrast to analog video, which represents moving visual images in the form of analog signals. Digital video comprises ...
. Robin Wright’s support was an integral part of the film getting financed and produced.


Reception

Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave the film 3 out of 4 stars. In a positive review, ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or t ...
'' said that while the film’s symbolism can be heavy-handed, "Moss' extraordinary performance as the restless, troubled Jesse makes up for a multitude of minor flaws; it's so transparent it scarcely seems like acting at all, and gives the film a haunting power that's hard to shake off." ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...
'' wrote, "''Virgins potential subversion lies in its demonstration of the ways U.S. ideals and expectations are literally inscribed on the body of young women. Yet the film is ultimately hopeful." In a negative review,
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with Jenna Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previously, Mor ...
of ''
The Boston Globe ''The Boston Globe'' is an American daily newspaper founded and based in Boston, Massachusetts. The newspaper has won a total of 27 Pulitzer Prizes, and has a total circulation of close to 300,000 print and digital subscribers. ''The Boston Glob ...
'' wrote, "So much of ''Virgin'' is bunk masquerading as sexual politics. It could have been a truly provocative work of religious devotion but settles for weakly held feminist positions that make Christianity look like the scariest religion ever." He also argued the film doesn’t quite know what it wants to be, commenting the premise "sounds like the start of a
John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, writer, actor, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his Cinema of Transgression, transgressive cult films, including ''Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), ''Pink Flamin ...
movie, only
he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is not a comedy. It also evokes something by Carl Dreyer, but
he film He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' ...
is not that pious." Scott Tobias of ''
The A.V. Club ''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' opined, "A truly courageous movie might have taken Moss' character at her word and followed through on the premise of a 21st-century Virgin Mary." On review aggregate website
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
, ''Virgin'' has an approval rating of 38% based on 21 reviews.


Awards and nominations


Won

*
Hamptons International Film Festival The Hamptons International Film Festival (HIFF) is an international film festival founded in 1992, by Joyce Robinson. The festival has since taken place every year in East Hampton, New York. It is usually an annual five-day event in mid-October a ...
2003: Best Screenplay: Deborah Kampmeier *
Nashville Film Festival The Nashville Film Festival (NashFilm), held annually in Nashville, Tennessee, is the oldest running film festival in the South and one of the oldest in the United States. In 2016, Nashville Film Festival received more than 6,700 submissions from ...
2003: 2nd place Dreammaker Award: Deborah Kampmeier *
Santa Fe Film Festival The Santa Fe Film Festival is a non-profit organization which presents important world cinema that represents aesthetic, critical, and entertainment standards highlighting New Mexican film. The organization partners with educational groups, schools, ...
2003: Milagro Award : Best Independent Spirit: Deborah Kampmeier *
Sedona International Film Festival The Sedona International Film Festival (SIFF) is an annual, eight-day film festival in Sedona, Arizona. The festival was founded in 1994. The Sedona Film Festival screens feature films, documentary films, short films, animated films, and student ...
2004: Director's Choice Award: Best Actress: Elisabeth Moss *Toronto
Female Eye Film Festival The Female Eye Film Festival (FeFF) is a competitive international film festival established in 2001. It is Toronto’s only international film festival geared specifically for women directors. History In 2001, Female Eye Film Festival was est ...
2003: Jury Award: Best Feature Film: Deborah Kampmeier


Nominated

*Golden Starfish Award: Best Fiction Feature Film/Video: Deborah Kampmeier * Independent Spirit Awards 2004 ** Best Female Lead: Elisabeth Moss **
John Cassavetes Award The Independent Spirit John Cassavetes Award is presented to the creative team of a film budgeted at less than $500,000 by the Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers. It is named after ac ...
: Deborah Kampmeier (writer/director) and Sarah Schenck (producer)


References


External links

* * * {{Allmovie, id=289793, title=Virgin 2003 films 2000s English-language films 2003 drama films 2000s American films American drama films Teenage pregnancy in film American independent films 2003 independent films Films about rape Films about Christianity Films about dysfunctional families