With heart and bravery, and offering unique windows into typically unexplored lives, remarkable debut features ‘The Hill Where Lionesses Roar’ and ‘Quickening’ both interrogate how young women on the cusp of adulthood navigate their ever more-complicated worlds.
Tag: Film
Camille Griffin’s Apocalyptic, Existential “Silent Night” Challenges Conventions of the Feel-Good Holiday Movie
A rare apocalyptic holiday movie, ‘Silent Night’ is a philosophical and spirited dark comedy that manages to be equal parts charming and horrifying, but without the gruesome visuals that typify the horror genre.
In Indigenous Thriller “Night Raiders,” Danis Goulet Blends History, Sci-Fi, Legend and Reality
An Indigenous sci-fi thriller, “Night Raiders” brings the painful history of Canada’s residential school system into a war-torn, eerily conceivable future. (This is one in a series of reviews from the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival, during which I focused on films directed by women.)
Debut Films “Aloners” and “Violet” Immerse Us in the Lives of Women on the Brink of Change
“Aloners” is an intensely quiet, atmospheric exploration of self-imposed isolation and loneliness requiring both focus and patience from the audience. “Violet,” by contrast, is intrusively loud, allowing neither its protagonist nor its viewers a moment of peace from the insistence of its narrative interruptions.
Examined together, these films present two distinct views on modern life, professional achievement and personal struggle.
Céline Sciamma’s “Petite Maman”: A Unique Meditation on the Bond Between Mothers and Daughters
In Céline Sciamma’s newest feature, “Petite Maman,” for the first time, mother and daughter speak the same language and play the same games—perhaps discovering that they understood each other all along.
[This is one in a series of reviews from the 2021 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), during which I focused on films directed by women.]
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9 (Free) Films for Understanding Afghanistan and the Lives of Women Who Live There
As the world watches the Taliban seize power in Afghanistan and women’s lives come under threat, Women Make Movies, a nonprofit distributor of independent films made by and about women, is making their Voices of Afghan Women film collection available to watch for free through September 12, 2021.
Cosplaying Oppression: Hollywood’s History of Excluding Autistic People From Their Own Stories
Disabled people, especially autistic people, continue to face a lack of true and respectful representation from the mainstream media.
“We’ve progressed with other minority groups. With disability, the representation is still woefully inadequate, and we think that’s based on a stigma that’s prevalent in society and also in Hollywood.”
What Not to Do When Making a Women-Led Action Film: ‘Gunpowder Milkshake’ as Cautionary Tale
“Gunpowder Milkshake” is a cautionary tale about what happens when you’re determined to make a women-led shoot-‘em-up, but have given very little thought to what you’re actually going to do with those women in terms of story structure, characterization or dialogue.
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Natasha? Marvel’s ‘Black Widow’ Is Fun But Not Enough
‘Black Widow’ may be an enjoyable romp on the surface, but as a triumphant send-off for Natasha Romanoff, it feels hollow: too little, too late.
The Old Guard: Revisiting an Exceptional Feminist Action Film on its One-Year Anniversary
Released exactly a year ago on Saturday, ‘The Old Guard’ was overwhelmingly well-received by critics and was my favorite film of 2020, easily making it onto my end-of-year best feminist films list. And yet, the film is deserving of even more fanfare and continued accolades (especially with a sequel in the works). Consider this my ‘The Old Guard’ one-year anniversary present, masquerading as a review.