Some films entertain you for two hours and then quietly leave your mind. Others stay with you for years.
God Help the Girl is one of those films for me.
I first watched it when I was around twenty years old. Back then it was available on Netflix, during a time when it felt like the platform was full of wonderfully niche and slightly unconventional films. I actually pressed play because of the cast. I'd loved Hannah Murray and Olly Alexander in Skins, and I've always enjoyed Emily Browning's work, so it felt like an easy choice.
I had no idea it would become one of my all-time favourite films.
Since then, I've watched it one to three times every month, and I still listen to the soundtrack several times a week. It's become part of my routine in a way very few films ever have.
If I had to describe God Help the Girl in one word, it would probably be "Preposterous." If you've seen the film, you'll know exactly why.
On the surface, it's a musical about three young people trying to figure out life. Underneath, it's about mental health, identity, friendship, creativity, and discovering that healing isn't always dramatic. Sometimes it's found in conversations, in music, and in finding people who understand you.
Eve has always been the character I relate to the most. I recognise her struggles, but I also recognise how important music is to her. It isn't just something she enjoys; it's how she processes the world around her. That has always resonated with me.
One of my favourite moments in the entire film is when Eve's therapist explains the triangle of health. It's such a simple scene, but it has stayed with me for years. It quietly reminds us that looking after ourselves isn't just about one thing. Physical health, mental health, and our relationships all influence one another, and real recovery is rarely as straightforward as we'd like it to be.
I also appreciate that the film doesn't try to present mental illness as something neat and easily solved. Parts of it feel realistic, while other parts feel symbolic, almost dreamlike. That balance is one of the reasons it works so well for me. It allows difficult subjects to exist alongside warmth, humour and beautiful music without making light of them.
The soundtrack deserves just as much praise as the story itself. I still listen to it regularly, and Come Monday Night remains my favourite song. Even outside the film, the music has a life of its own. It's the kind of soundtrack that stays with you long after the credits have finished rolling.
James is another character I've come to appreciate more over the years. I think he's often misunderstood because he's so private. In many ways, he becomes whatever Eve and Cassie see in him, while his own personality remains just out of reach. That mystery makes him one of the film's most interesting characters.
The setting matters too. Glasgow isn't just a backdrop; it feels like another character. I honestly can't imagine this story taking place anywhere else.
Interestingly, I don't recommend God Help the Girl to everyone. It's a gentle, slow-paced film that isn't trying to please a wide audience. I usually only suggest it to people who I think will appreciate its quieter storytelling and its willingness to explore difficult subjects without shouting about them.
When people ask why I keep returning to this film after all these years, I don't think it's because it's a musical, or because of the cast, or even because of the soundtrack.
It's because of how it makes me feel.
Accepted.
For me, God Help the Girl is a reminder that you don't have to have everything figured out. You can be struggling, creative, uncertain, hopeful and still deserving of kindness. Few films have ever made me feel that as gently as this one has.
That's why, all these years later, I still find myself pressing play.
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