Utopia on Thursday released the trailer for “Sharp Stick,” Lena Dunham’s dramedy that debuted to controversy at Sundance earlier this year.

The film, in theaters nationwide on Aug. 5 following a limited release on July 29, follows 26-year-old Sarah Jo (Kristine Froseth), a socially and sexually stunted caregiver living on the outskirts of Hollywood with her mother (Jennifer Jason Leigh) and sister Treina (Taylour Paige). She longs for connection after a hysterectomy in her teenage years kept her from finding romance, and begins an affair with Josh (Jon Bernthal), the parent of the special-needs child she looks after, who is married to Heath, Lena Dunham’s character.

The film explores Sarah Jo’s sexual coming-of-age, a central conceit that has drawn controversy in its portrayal. Amy Gravino, an autism sexuality advocate who said Froseth asked her to be a consultant on the film before she was “ghosted,” said Sarah Jo’s...