It can be a powerfully liberating experience to learn that life exists beyond dogma.

I could see being upset by it, but there are definitely experiences like that. I got the feeling the writer/director basically had this as an experience - feeling hellishly guilty for every little transgression, confused, caught up - and that the film was being used as a kind of celluloid therapy. The best parts of the film, to me, were the bits about being confused and not knowing where to go or who to turn to. Overall, though, it was a bit underwritten and was being pulled in several directions. Was it an indictment of Catholicism? Religious hypocrisy? Was it a growing-up film leaning into the sexual aspects? Was it a camp rom/sex-comedy? Was it Mean Girls Lite? For me, it never seemed to decide and weakened its impact a bit.

Dogma is open to interpretation.

The real thing on trial here is religion, aka legalism. Legalism is terrible and is to be condemned. Obviously this filmmaker has had an unfortunate brush with legalism and came away scarred, as I did too.

But what most dont get is belief and teligion are TWO SEPARATE things. Unfortunately one (legalism) always causes the other (belief/spirituality) to be indicted by unsuspected people who dont know better.

Sad that so many get the wrong idea.