There are so many coming of age stories about dealing with sexual feelings and teenage angst that seem little more than super soft serve porn or star vehicles where child stars (or pop singers) transition into adult roles. This 2011 movie from Norway, “Turn Me On, Dammit!” presents teenage angst with more honesty than most movies of this genre. The movie opens at the Pasadena Playhouse 7 on 29 June 2012.

There’s some nudity involved–both female (bare breasts) and male (a prosthetic penis) so this movie isn’t for everyone.

Directed by Jannicke Systad Jacobsen who wrote the screenplay based on a novel by Olaug Nilssen, TMOD is about a 15-year-old girl who masturbates and calls a sexline, has fantasies about her girlfriend and a popular boy she likes and by revealing something that happened between her and the boy, Artur, she becomes an outcast.

According to the press notes, the original novel was about three women of different ages who dream of going beyond the loneliness of their small town existence. But the youngest character, Alma is the one Systad Jacobsen wanted to focus on.  In doing so, she expanded some roles including the sex phone operator Stig who manages to be understanding instead of creepy.

It helps that Systad Jacobsen chose Helene Bergsholm who was at the time a 17-year-old high school student to play the role of Alma. Bergsholm is from a small town and was cast because Systad Jacobsen explained, “We wanted someone who was basically normal but had a slight strangeness about her.”

Bergsholm feels that Alma is an ordinary girl, but she “isn’t afraid of showing how it really is.”

Because the movie shows Alma’s fantasies, we aren’t certain whether Alma is telling the truth or if Artur (Matias Myren) and her should end up together.

The movie won Best Screenplay at the Tribeca Film Festival and Best Debut Film at the Rome Film Festival.

TMOD reminded me just how cruel and awkward high school was, if you weren’t one of the cool girls and how hormones make teenaged girls just as crazy because masturbating isn’t just for boys. I hate to see what happens if this becomes a Hollywood movie. Need a movie to help you have an honest discussion about sex with your daughter? This sweet but frank movie will do that just fine.