In “The Catastrophist,” Lauren Gunderson expertly captures our new sense of how time passes and memories are made—or not made—by telling an epic yet intimate story about her husband, virologist Nathan Wolfe.
Author: Holly L. Derr
Holly L. Derr is the Head of Graduate Directing at the University of Memphis and a feminist media critic who uses the analytical tools of theater to reflect upon broader issues of culture, race and gender. Follow her @hld6oddblend.
The Ms. Q&A: Why Holland Taylor Wanted to Act Like Ann Richards
“Julie White, who plays Nancy Kohler, came to our final production in New York, and she came backstage in tears and said: ‘This play makes me want to be a better person.’ And I think that is what it’s all about.”
Storytelling for Social Change: Inside the #HealMeToo Festival
Hope Singsen had done very little producing before she began putting together The #HealMeToo Festival, which just wrapped in New York City. She started with a plan to find a space to produce Skin, her solo show about the road and obstacles to healing and reclaiming intimacy after childhood sexual trauma, and to share that […]
A Feminist Guide to Horror Movies, Part 9: Be Careful What You Wish For
Apparently the spirits of Halloween can be quick to respond this time of year, because no sooner did I wish for a Gothic horror-based film that enables its young heroine to save herself and even her family without the help of men, whether dead or alive, than I found one on Netflix: Haunter, starring Abigail Breslin, is this […]
A Feminist Guide to Horror Movies, Part 8: Beware of Crimson Peak
Author’s Note: If the thing that scares you most is disagreement among feminists, you might not want to read this post—fellow feminist film buff Natalie Wilson gave this movie a glowing review on the Ms. Blog last week. Surely a well-cast hex or two will bring Ms. Wilson over to my side… I am the first […]
A Feminist Guide to Horror Movies, Part 7: New Beginnings
Just when you thought it was safe to go back on the Internet around Halloween without being confronted with those pesky feminist analyses of every goth girl, riot grrrl and geek girl’s favorite genre—horror—SHE’S BACK with that darn Feminist Guide to Horror Movies. And this time, she’s got an international agenda to promote. Have you […]
Advantageous: Feminist Science Fiction at its Best
A sighting of that rare bird called feminist science fiction is truly a thing to celebrate. It does exist, sometimes by accident (see Alien), and sometimes on purpose (see almost anything by Octavia Butler). With Advantageous, a film written by Jacqueline Kim and Jennifer Phang, directed by Phang and starring Kim, the feminism is entirely purposeful. Influenced […]