Fighting the urge to give into lustful thoughts and actions is the powerful journey that devout teenager Jem Starling is embarking on in the upcoming drama, ‘The Starling Girl.’ The titular protagonist’s struggle to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community is chronicled in the film’s newly released official trailer and poster.

Bleecker Street will distribute ‘The Starling Girl’ in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on May 12. The movie’s theatrical release will expand to additional cities the following week, on May 19. The feature’s official distribution comes after it had its World Premiere at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and then had its Texas premiere at SXSW last month.

‘The Starling Girl’ was written and directed by Laurel Parmet. The drama stars Eliza Scanlen as Jem, as well as Lewis Pullman, Wrenn Schmidt, Austin Abrams and Jimmi Simpson.

In ‘The Starling Girl,’ the 17-year-old eponymous character struggles to define her place within her fundamentalist Christian community in rural Kentucky. Even her greatest joy of dancing with the church group is tempered by worry that her actions are sinful. She’s soon caught between a burgeoning awareness of her own sexuality and her religious devotion.

With the return of Owen (Pullman), an enigmatic youth pastor, Jem soon finds herself attracted to his worldliness and charm. Slowly, he draws her into a dangerous relationship that could upend their entire community.