Karen Maine

Karen Maine (born June 15, 1985) is an American film director and screenwriter known for Obvious Child and Yes, God, Yes.

Karen Maine
Born (1985-06-15) June 15, 1985
NationalityAmerican
Occupation(s)Film director, screenwriter, producer, actor
Known forYes, God, Yes, Obvious Child

Career

Maine co-wrote the 2014 film Obvious Child and the 2009 short film it's based on.[1][2]

Maine wrote and directed the 2020 film Yes, God, Yes starring Natalia Dyer. The film is based on Maine's experiences growing up in Iowa and attending Catholic school for 15 years, where she received a sex-ed curriculum that emphasized not having sex before marriage.[3][4][5] Yes, God, Yes premiered at the 2019 SXSW Film Festival and won a Special Jury Award for Best Ensemble.[6] It was released by Vertical Entertainment[7] via virtual theaters on July 24, 2020[8] and on VOD on July 28, 2020.[9] The film received positive reviews from critics. Richard Brody of The New Yorker said that "Maine uses meticulously composed yet freely imaginative visual and sonic textures to develop the film into a vivid, varied comedic drama and an intricate portrayal of inner experience", Katie Walsh of the Los Angeles Times said that "Maine's film captures something indelible about adolescent female desire, without condescending or objectifying, because she understands, subjectively, what that looks and feels like: all the confusion and shame, but yes, also the pleasure", and Richard Roeper of The Chicago Sun-Times wrote Yes, God, Yes "retains a breezy and upbeat and even sweet disposition, thanks to the light touch of writer-director Karen Maine and an absolutely winning performance by Stranger Things star Natalia Dyer."[10][11][12] The film holds a 93% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 126 reviews.[13] It was included on The New Yorker's list of the best films of 2020.[14]

Maine directed the pilot and the first season of the BBC Three/HBO Max series Starstruck, created by and starring New Zealand comedian Rose Matafeo.[15][16]

In May 2021 it was announced that Maine would direct the feature film Rosaline, a modern adaptation of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, starring Kaitlyn Dever as Rosaline, Juliet's cousin and Romeo's first love.[17] It was released in 2022 on Hulu.[18]

Filmography
Year Title Credited as Notes
Director Writer Producer
2009 Obvious Child No Yes No Short film
2014 Obvious Child No Story No
2017 Yes, God, Yes Yes Yes Yes Short film
2019 Yes, God, Yes Yes Yes Executive
2021 Starstruck Yes No No series director
2022 Rosaline Yes No No

References
  1. Lurie, Danielle (January 19, 2014). "Women of Sundance: Obvious Child". Filmmaker. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  2. Angelo, Megan (May 30, 2014). "A Rom-Com Path Less Traveled". The New York Times. Archived from the original on October 3, 2015. Retrieved August 22, 2015.
  3. "WAMG Interview: Karen Maine – Writer and Director of YES, GOD, YES". We Are Movie Geeks. July 14, 2020. Retrieved December 2, 2020.
  4. Frank, Michael. "Cathartic Catholic Cinema: Karen Maine on Yes, God, Yes | Interviews | Roger Ebert". www.rogerebert.com/. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  5. Peters, Fletcher. "Yes, God, Yes Director Karen Maine On Repressed Female Pleasure". Culture. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  6. McNary, Dave (March 12, 2019). "SXSW Awards: 'Alice,' 'For Sama' Win Top Prizes". Variety. Retrieved March 12, 2019.
  7. Hipes, Patrick (September 25, 2019). "Natalia Dyer-Starring SXSW Pic 'Yes, God, Yes' To Hit Theaters Via Vertical Entertainment". Deadline. Retrieved September 25, 2019.
  8. Catsoulis, Jeannette (July 23, 2020). "'Yes, God, Yes' Review: Sin and Sensuality". The New York Times. Retrieved July 23, 2020.
  9. O'Malley, Shelia (July 24, 2020). "Review Yes, God, Yes". RogerEbert.com. Retrieved July 24, 2020.
  10. Brody, Richard (July 23, 2020). "Review: "Yes, God, Yes," Reviewed: A Remarkable First Feature About a Catholic Girl's Sexual Rebellion". The New Yorker.
  11. Walsh, Katie (July 23, 2020). "Review: Review: 'Yes, God, Yes' and Natalia Dyer reassure the adolescent girl in us all about sex". Los Angeles Times.
  12. "'Yes, God, Yes' a sweeter, gentler kind of teen sex comedy". The Chicago Sun-Times. July 23, 2020.
  13. "Yes, God, Yes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  14. Brody, Richard. "The Best Movies of 2020". The New Yorker. Retrieved December 7, 2020.
  15. White, Peter (August 12, 2019). "HBO Max & BBC Three Team On Rose Matafeo's Millennial Comedy 'Starstruck' From 'Catastrophe' Producer Avalon Television". Deadline. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  16. "Rose Matafeo lands starring role in BBC sitcom Star Struck". The New Zealand Herald. April 1, 2019. Retrieved April 1, 2019.
  17. Kroll, Justin (May 6, 2021). "20th Century Acquires Revisionist 'Romeo & Juliet' Pic 'Rosaline' With Kaitlyn Dever Attached To Star; 21 Laps Producing". Deadline. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
  18. Beresford, Trilby (November 13, 2021). "Kaitlyn Dever Shares First-Look Image of Her Character in Hulu's 'Rosaline'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved November 13, 2021.
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