Philosopher Girls

Late August, 1964. Five fourteen-year-old girls—Janet, Mary, Carolyn, Lindsay, and Beth—are having a slumber party. The mood is light at first as they chat about clothes and boys and dances at school. All the while, though, a shadow is hanging over them—Mary’s mother has been in hospital for tests and is awaiting the results. As the evening wears on, the girls switch to “grown-up” topics: sex and periods and giving birth, for example. The more they talk, the more they realize that their parents have not been entirely honest with them. Janet has a solution—she’ll read some of the serious books her mother keeps on a high shelf and find out the truth. While Janet is busy thinking, Mary is gaining some actual experience of grown-up life—forced, before she’s ready for it, to look after her family. In the meantime, the other girls are also learning how the world works. As they lose their illusions, they all wonder—where can we turn for answers if we can’t trust the adults? Isn’t it time we got together and had another little talk?