The director Martha Stephens, working from a script by Shannon Bradley-Colleary, handles this material smoothly, creating a solid, tangible sense of place with landscapes, gusts of wind and a blue sky that feels more confining than sheltering. Stephens, whose movies include “Land Ho!” (directed with Aaron Katz), is particularly sensitive to Iris’s surroundings, her family’s weather-beaten house and barn, and the dusty road where Maggie rescues her. In one scene, Maggie and Iris take off down that road in a car, enjoying a much-needed if frustratingly brief escape. Then it’s back to their mean little town with its small-minded dictators and frustrated, hothouse desires.

It’s always nice to see characters break free, but you need to care whether they do. One insurmountable problem with this story is that Iris just isn’t interesting enough and certainly not developed enough either as a character or in terms of the performance. She isn’t simply closed off, like a turtle in lockdown; she’s devoid of spark, personality, and it leaves you searching for someone to care about. Maggie fits that role for a while. But the movie’s great missed opportunity can be found at a beauty parlor, where another loner, Hazel (a very good Adelaide Clemens), styles hair and opens up another world with a few words, darting looks and gentle, seductive grace.

To the Stars

Not rated. Running time: 1 hour 49 minutes. Rent or buy on Amazon, Apple TV and other streaming platforms and pay TV operators.