New Waterford Girl (2000)

Synopsis: In mid-1970s New Waterford on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, an 18-year-old girl without a child is rather unusual--and 15-year-old Mooney Pottie (Liane Balaban, in an auspicious debut) is feeling suppressed by the small-mindedness that surrounds her. Seen as freakish by her family for her... In mid-1970s New Waterford on Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, an 18-year-old girl without a child is rather unusual--and 15-year-old Mooney Pottie (Liane Balaban, in an auspicious debut) is feeling suppressed by the small-mindedness that surrounds her. Seen as freakish by her family for her incessant reading and a desire to move to New York, Mooney refuses to temper her thirst for knowledge and attend the booze-fueled makeout parties her classmates live for. Enter Lou (Tara Spencer-Naim), a tough boxer's daughter from the Bronx who moves into town with her dance teacher mother (Cathy Moriarty). Before long, Lou is helping Moonie see the town through new eyes, improving Moonie's social life in the process. But when her sympathetic teacher, Cecil Sweeney (Andrew McCarthy), informs Mooney that he has gotten her accepted at an Arts High School in New York, she is prepared to do whatever it takes to escape her oppressive origins. Director Moyle (PUMP UP THE VOLUME, EMPIRE RECORDS) has crafted a sweet, funny slice-of-life/ coming-of-age film, from the debut screenplay by Fish, who wrote the film after attending her high school reunion in New Waterford. Beautiful Canadian locations are used to dramatic effect. [More]