Writer/director Hille Norden’s Easy Girl takes one of the oldest stories in the book — the girl with the reputation. Don’t think of this as a cautionary tale, but as a gritty look at the woman everyone thinks they already know.
On a Friday night at a crowded club, Jonna (Dana Herfuth) sits alone with a look on her face like she’d rather be anywhere but here. She’s watching the pretty girl, Nore (Luna Jordan), work the room wearing what looks like a prom dress — moving from man to man, looking for a place to crash and maybe some fun in return. When Nore gets shut down for the first time all night, Jonna swoops in, flirts with Nore, and invites her back to Jonna’s apartment.
Back at the apartment, the two rekindle their non-existent high school friendship. Jonna was the weird kid, while Nore had the reputation for being the “easy girl.” This reputation had not changed since then. While the two flirt with making out, Jonna offers to let Nore live in the extra room. When Jonna makes the offer, Nore explains why it would be a bad decision.
What follows settles into a rhythm for the two new roomies. Every night, the two get dressed and head out, and Nore comes home with a different man night after night after night. She tells Jonna that she loves it all — the unexpected, the danger, and the thrill of not knowing what the night holds. Jonna comes alive off of Nore’s energy and finds a boyfriend, Michel (Jakob Gessner), from the small string of boys she brings home.
“Jonna was the weird kid, while Nore had the reputation for being the ‘easy girl.'”
Soon, the endless supply of men begins to wear on Nore, and she slowly begins to spiral down into a nervous breakdown. Unable to confront Nore directly about her condition, Jonna challenges them both to create a list of all the men they’ve slept with. Jonna’s list is done quickly. Nore, on the other hand, struggles, and she takes Jonna on a journey into the past to ask her younger self who was first. Here, the small cracks in Nore’s life cause the walls around her to crumble.
Easy Girl takes on the tried-and-true good girl/slutty girl story. This is a tale that has always been fodder for teen sex comedies or light rom/coms and is the entire basis of Sex and the City. But here, writer/director Hille Norden puts the lens on Nore, the “easy girl.” It all starts by showing her in action, while giving you an idea of what everyone thinks of Nore… including Nore. There are men in the bar who instantly jump at the “sure thing,” while others know to stay away from the “slut.”
Norden then kicks off the second act by showing the effects of Nore’s behavior over time and her inability to establish healthy relationships. Then, in the third act, the film walks us through Nore’s origin story in a surreal manner. The masculinity is toxic for sure, but it is also undeniable that Nore’s story is not unique to fiction. As Nore, Dana Herfuth gives an incredibly vulnerable performance. She’s not afraid to be nude, nor is she afraid of simulated sex, but the emotional performance is heart-wrenching to the point where the sex doesn’t feel right for her anymore. Then you enter her “origin” story, which unleashes an onslaught of moral questions.
Ultimately, Hille Norden’s Easy Girl does everything it takes to humanize and empathize with the “easy girl.” Between Dana Herfuth’s devastating performance and Norden’s refusal to look away from the hard stuff, the film leaves you with more moral questions than answers — and that feels exactly right.
For screening information, visit the Easy Girl official website.
"…the sex doesn't feel right for her anymore."
