How to Build a Girl is a coming-of-age comedy-drama film directed by Coky Giedroyc and starring Beanie Feldstein as the main character Johanna Morrigan/Dolly Wilde. The film is based on Caitlin Moran's semi-autobiographical novel of the same name, which was published in 2014.
Johanna Morrigan is a 16-year-old girl from Wolverhampton who dreams of becoming a writer. She lives with her parents and four siblings in a small, cramped house and feels suffocated by her life there. One day, she enters a writing contest and wins an opportunity to interview a famous rock star, John Kite (played by Alfie Allen), for a music magazine in London.
In London, Johanna reinvents herself as Dolly Wilde, a confident, outspoken, and uninhibited young woman who writes about music in her own unique style. She becomes a popular music critic and is invited to exclusive parties and events, where she meets many famous people from the music industry. However, as she struggles to balance her new life in London with her responsibilities to her family back in Wolverhampton, she begins to question who she really is and what she wants from life.
The movie explores themes of self-discovery, sexuality, class, and the power of writing. It features a talented cast, including Paddy Considine and Sarah Solemani as Johanna's parents, Chris O'Dowd as her boss at the music magazine, and Emma Thompson as a famous feminist writer who inspires Johanna/Dolly.
Overall, How to Build a Girl is a poignant and humorous film that celebrates the joys and challenges of growing up and finding one's place in the world.
