It’s Women’s History Month! We can’t think of a better time to celebrate women in film, whether behind the camera or on-screen.
On International Women’s Day (March 8), Netflix debuts “Ladies First,” an inspirational documentary about archer Deepika Kumari, who won a gold medal at the 2010 Commonwealth games. March 9 is the hugely anticipated release of “A Wrinkle in Time,” directed by the visionary Ava DuVernay, who made headlines — and history — when she became the first black female director to helm a live-action feature with a budget over $100 million. “Wrinkle” follows young Meg Murry (Storm Reid) on a fantastical quest through space and time to find her missing father.
Other high-profile releases include March 2’s “Red Sparrow” and March 16’s “Tomb Raider.” The former stars Jennifer Lawrence as a ballerina-turned-spy who decides to exact revenge on those who forced her into a life of espionage. The latter, toplined by Alicia Vikander, is a reboot of the early-2000s Angelina Jolie franchise. It sees Lara Croft traveling to a remote island in an effort to find out exactly what happened to her missing adventurer father.
Opening in the UK on March 16 is “Mary Magdalene,” about one of history’s most maligned women (Rooney Mara) as she begins her spiritual journey and takes her place within Jesus’ destiny. Meanwhile, director Hava Kohav Beller’s powerful, nuanced documentary “In the Land of Pomegranates” opens in LA, also on March 16. It documents the highly charged discussions between Palestinians and Israelis at a retreat in Germany, whilst following other embattled lives in the Occupied Territories and Israel.
Encouragingly, this month’s releases celebrate girls and women of all ages, from the young — the aforementioned “A Wrinkle in Time,” “Don’t Talk to Irene” on March 2, and “I Kill Giants” on March 23 — to the mature. March 2’s “Souvenir” stars Isabelle Huppert as a former European song contest singer who is inspired to make a comeback. “The Leisure Seeker,” opening March 9, sees Helen Mirren’s Ella Spencer embark on an adventurous road trip with her beloved husband, John (Donald Sutherland). And writer-director Blandine Lenoir’s “I Got Life!” — opening in the UK on March 23 — charts Aurore’s (Agnès Jaoui) struggle with embracing middle aged life.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films debuting in March. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
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March 1
“Werewolf” — Written and Directed by Ashley McKenzie
Blaise (Andrew Gillis) and Nessa (Bhreagh MacNeil) are outcast methadone users in their small town. Each day they push a rusty lawnmower door-to-door begging to cut grass. Nessa plots an escape, while Blaise lingers closer to collapse. Tethered to one another, their getaway dreams are kept on a suffocatingly short leash.
March 2
“Red Sparrow”
When she suffers a career-ending injury, Dominika (Jennifer Lawrence) and her mother are facing a bleak and uncertain future. That is why she finds herself manipulated into becoming the newest recruit for Sparrow School, a secret intelligence service that trains exceptional young people like her to use their bodies and minds as weapons. After enduring the perverse and sadistic training process, she emerges as the most dangerous Sparrow the program has ever produced. Dominika must now reconcile the person she was with the power she now commands, with her own life and everyone she cares about at risk, including an American CIA agent who tries to convince her he is the only person she can trust.
“Oh Lucy!” — Written and Directed by Atsuko Hirayanagi (Opens in NY and LA)
Setsuko (Shinobu Terajima) is a single, emotionally unfulfilled woman, seemingly stuck with a drab, meaningless life in Tokyo. At least until she’s convinced by her niece, Mika (Shioli Kutsuna), to enroll in an unorthodox English class that requires her to wear a blonde wig and take on an American alter ego named “Lucy.” This new identity awakens something dormant in Setsuko, and she quickly develops romantic feelings for her American instructor, John (Josh Hartnett). When John suddenly disappears from class and Setsuko learns that he and her niece were secretly dating, Setsuko enlists the help of her sister, Ayako (Kaori Momoi), and the pair fly halfway across the world to the outskirts of Southern California in search of the runaway couple. In a brave new world of tattoo parlors and seedy motels, family ties and past lives are tested as Setsuko struggles to preserve the dream and promise of Lucy.
“Dance Academy: The Movie” — Written by Samantha Strauss
Former ballet student, Tara Webster (Xenia Goodwin), was destined to become one of the top dancers of her generation before a devastating injury crippled her career. Over the last 18 months she has tried to embrace life as a university student but cannot get over her dream of dancing professionally. In her quest to defy the odds in a near impossible comeback, Tara leaves her life and love behind in Sydney and travels to New York. But as the rejections pile up, and Tara tears herself apart trying to fit the unrelenting ballet mould, she must learn to find — and trust — her own voice before she loses everything that truly matters in the pursuit of a dream.
“The Lullaby” — Written by Tarryn-Tanille Prinsloo (Also Available on VOD)
Chloe (Reine Swart) is overwhelmed by the birth of her first child. The incessant crying of her baby, and the growing sense of guilt and paranoia send her into depression. With a heightened urge to protect her son, Chloe sees danger in every situation. She starts to hear voices and the humming of a childhood lullaby, and sees flashes of a strange entity around her child. Is she haunted by evil or is it just the baby blues?
“Don’t Talk to Irene” (Also Available on VOD)
When Irene (Michelle McLeod) — the “fattest girl in high school” — gets suspended, she must endure two weeks of community service at a retirement home. Following her passion for cheerleading, she secretly signs up the senior residents to audition for a dance-themed reality show to prove that you don’t need to be physically “perfect” to be perfectly awesome.
“Souvenir” (Opens in NY; Opens in LA March 16)
Liliane (Isabelle Huppert) lives a modest and monotonous life. By day, she works in a pâté factory, and by night she sits on the couch and watches TV. One day, a new worker named Jean (Kévin Azaïs) arrives. The two form a platonic relationship but Jean grows increasingly convinced that he recognizes Liliane from a European singing contest he saw as a child. Eventually, Jean convinces Liliane to confront her past. “Souvenir” is a beautiful portrayal of a friendship between two people from different generations, who come together to make a life-changing comeback.
“Eat Me” — Written by Jacqueline Wright (Available on VOD March 6)
Over the course of one torturous night, a suicidal woman and the violent home intruder that saved her life test the limits of human endurance and the boundaries of forgiveness.
“Gnome Alone” — Co-Written by Zina Zaflow
When Chloe (Becky G) discovers that her new home’s garden gnomes are not what they seem, she must decide between the pursuit of a desired high school life and taking up the fight against the Troggs.
March 8
“Ladies First” (Short Documentary) (Available on Netflix)
“Ladies First” tells the inspirational story of Deepika Kumari who, as a girl born on the roadside to abject poverty in rural India, went in search of food, stumbled upon archery, and within four years became the number one archer in the world.
March 9
“A Wrinkle in Time” — Directed by Ava DuVernay; Written by Jennifer Lee
A reimagining of Madeleine L’Engle’s classic novel that takes Meg Murry (Storm Reid) and her brilliant brother Charles Wallace (Deric McCabe), along with their friend Calvin (Levi Miller), on an unexpected journey into alternate dimensions on a mission to bring home their father (Chris Pine). Traveling via a wrinkling of time and space known as “tessering,” they are soon transported to worlds beyond their imagination where they must confront a powerful evil. To make it back home to Earth, Meg must look deep within herself, and embrace her flaws to harness the strength necessary to defeat the darkness closing in on them.
“Claire’s Camera”
Claire (Isabelle Huppert) is a school teacher with a camera (that might be magical), on her first visit to the Cannes Film Festival. She happens upon a film sales assistant, Manhee (Kim Minhee), recently laid off after a one-night stand with a film director (Jung Jinyoung). Together, this unlikely pair become detectives of sorts, as they wander around the seaside resort town, working to better understand the circumstances of Manhee’s firing — and developing new outlooks on life in the process.
“Thoroughbreds”
Childhood friends Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) and Amanda (Olivia Cooke) reconnect in suburban Connecticut after years of growing apart. Lily has turned into a polished, upper-class teenager, with a fancy boarding school on her transcript, and a coveted internship on her resume; Amanda has developed a sharp wit and her own particular attitude but all in the process of becoming a social outcast. Though they initially seem completely at odds, the pair bond over Lily’s contempt for her oppressive stepfather, Mark (Paul Sparks), and as their friendship grows, they begin to bring out one another’s most destructive tendencies. Their ambitions lead them to hire a local hustler, Tim (Anton Yelchin), and take matters into their own hands to set their lives straight.
“The Leisure Seeker” — Co-Written by Francesca Archibugi
Helen Mirren and Donald Sutherland star as a runaway couple going on an unforgettable journey in the faithful old RV they call “The Leisure Seeker,” travelling from Boston to The Ernest Hemingway Home in Key West. They recapture their passion for life, and their love for each other on a road trip that provides revelation and surprise right up to the very end.
“The Happys” (Opens in LA)
Twenty-one year old Tracy (Amanda Bauer) thinks she has it all — great boyfriend, new city, and a bright future — but then she walks in on her boyfriend Mark (Jack DePew) having sex with a man! As their relationship deteriorates, Tracy’s world opens up when she befriends the quirky residents in her Los Feliz neighborhood: Sebastian (Rhys Ward), a troubled recluse; Luann (Janeane Garofalo), a true free spirit; Krista (Melissa McBride), Mark’s hard-charging talent manager; Jonathan (Stephen Guarino), a gay magazine reporter; and Ricky (Arturo del Puerto), the owner of a failing food truck. As Tracy discovers her sense of self and true passion for cooking, she is a catalyst that forces them all to grow and connect in unforeseen ways.
March 16
“Tomb Raider” — Co-Written by Geneva Robertson-Dworet
Lara Croft (Alicia Vikander) is the fiercely independent daughter of an eccentric adventurer who vanished when she was scarcely a teen. Now a young woman of 21 without any real focus or purpose, Lara navigates the chaotic streets of trendy East London as a bike courier, barely making the rent, and takes college courses, rarely making it to class. Advised to face the facts and move forward after seven years without her father, even Lara can’t understand what drives her to finally solve the puzzle of his mysterious death. Going explicitly against his final wishes, she leaves everything she knows behind in search of her dad’s last-known destination: a fabled tomb on a mythical island. If she survives this perilous adventure, it could be the making of her, earning her the name tomb raider.
“Keep the Change” — Written and Directed by Rachel Israel (Opens in NY; Opens in LA March 23)
Set in New York, this quirky, unconventional story centers on David (Brandon Polansky), who is struggling to come to terms with his own high-functioning autism, when he unexpectedly falls for a vivacious woman named Sarah (Samantha Elisofon), whose lust for life both irks and fascinates him.
“Allure” (Opens in NY and LA) (Also Available on VOD)
Laura (Evan Rachel Wood) works as a house cleaner for her father’s company but her personal life is not so pristine. Rough around the edges, looking for love in all the wrong places, her heartbreaking behavior points to hardships of the past. One day on the job, in yet another house, Laura meets Eva (Julia Sarah Stone), a quiet teenager unhappy with her disciplined life. In Eva, Laura rediscovers an innocent tenderness. In Laura, Eva finds a thrilling rebel who can bring her into unknown territories. The mutual attraction soon morphs into obsession as Laura convinces Eva to run away and secretly come live with her, perilously raising the stakes for the young, impressionable girl as Laura’s emotional instability becomes increasingly clear. As their world closes in, they must unearth certain truths to find a way out.
“Dear Dictator” — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Lisa Addario (Also Available on VOD)
When political turmoil forces a British-Caribbean dictator, General Anton Vincent (Michael Caine), to flee his island nation, he seeks refuge with his pen pal, a rebellious teenage girl (Odeya Rush) in suburban America, and teaches her how to start a revolution and overthrow the “mean girls” in her high school.
“Flower”
Rebellious, quick-witted Erica Vandross (Zoey Deutch) is a 17-year-old firecracker living with her single mom, Laurie (Kathryn Hahn), and mom’s new boyfriend, Bob (Tim Heidecker), in LA’s San Fernando Valley. When Bob’s mentally unbalanced son, Luke (Joey Morgan), arrives from rehab to live with the family, Erica finds her domestic and personal life overwhelmed. With Luke and her sidekicks Kala (Dylan Gelula) and Claudine (Maya Eshet) in tow, Erica acts out by exposing a dark secret of high-school teacher Will (Adam Scott), with perilous results.
“In the Land of Pomegranates” (Documentary) — Directed by Hava Kohav Beller (Opens in LA)
“In the Land of Pomegranates” is a suspenseful, multi-layered documentary about a group of young people who were born into a violent and insidious ongoing war. They are young Palestinians and Israelis invited to Germany to join a retreat called “Vacation From War” where they live under the same roof, and face each other every day. In these highly charged encounters they confront the entrenched myths and grievances that each side has for the other. As they try to gain insight into the seemingly irreconcilable narratives, the paradoxes and contradictions born of legend and history, along with passionately held ideals, and the daily fight for survival surface.
“Love, Simon” — Co-Written by Elizabeth Berger
Seventeen-year old Simon Spier has yet to tell his family or friends he’s gay, and he doesn’t actually know the identity of the anonymous classmate he’s fallen for online. Resolving both issues proves hilarious, terrifying, and life-changing. “Love, Simon” is a funny and heartfelt coming-of-age story about the thrilling ride of finding yourself and falling in love.
“Mary Magdalene” — Written by Helen Edmundson and Philippa Goslett (Opens in the UK)
Set in the Holy Land in the first century, a young woman leaves her small fishing village and traditional family behind to join a radical new social movement. At its head is a charismatic leader, Jesus of Nazareth (Joaquin Phoenix), who promises that the world is changing. Mary (Rooney Mara) is searching for a new way of living, and an authenticity that is denied her by the rigid hierarchies of the day. As the notoriety of the group spreads, and more are drawn to follow Jesus’ inspirational message, Mary’s spiritual journey places her at the heart of a story that will lead to the capital city of Jerusalem, where she must confront the reality of Jesus’ destiny, and her own place within it.
“Take Your Pills” (Documentary) — Directed by Alison Klayman (Available on Netflix)
The pressure to achieve more, do more, and be more is part of being human — and in the age of Adderall and Ritalin, achieving that can be as close as the local pharmacy. No longer just “a cure for excitable kids,” prescription stimulants are in college classrooms, on Wall Street, in Silicon Valley — any place “the need to succeed” slams into “not enough hours in the day.” But there are costs. In the insightful “Take Your Pills” documentarian Alison Klayman focuses on the history, the facts, and the pervasiveness of cognitive-enhancement drugs in our amped-up era of late-stage-capitalism.
March 23
“Beauty and the Dogs” — Written and Directed by Kaouther Ben Hania (Opens in NY and LA)
When Mariam (Mariam Al Ferjani), a young Tunisian woman, is raped by police officers after leaving a party, she is propelled into a harrowing night in which she must fight for her rights even though justice lies on the side of her tormentors.
“Unsane”
Sawyer Valentini (Claire Foy) relocates from Boston to Pennsylvania to escape from the man who’s been stalking her for the last two years. While consulting with a therapist, Valentini unwittingly signs in for a voluntary 24-hour commitment to the Highland Creek Behavioral Center. Her stay at the facility soon gets extended when doctors and nurses begin to question her sanity. Sawyer now believes that one of the staffers is her stalker — and she’ll do whatever it takes to stay alive and fight her way out.
“Westwood: Punk, Icon, Activist” (Documentary) — Directed by Lorna Tucker (Opens in the UK)
Since igniting the punk movement with ex-partner and Sex Pistols’ manager Malcolm McLaren, Dame Vivienne Westwood has been redefining British fashion for over 40 years, and is responsible for creating many of the most distinctive looks of our time. The film blends archive, beautifully crafted reconstruction, and insightful interviews with Vivienne’s fascinating network of collaborators, guiding us on her journey from a childhood in post-war Derbyshire to the runways of Paris and Milan. This is an intimate and poignant homage to one of the true cultural icons of our time, as she fights to maintain her brand’s integrity, her principles, and her legacy in a business driven by consumerism, profit, and global expansion.
“Roxanne Roxanne” (Available on Netflix)
In the early 1980s, the most feared battle MC in Queens, New York was a fierce teenage girl with the weight of the world on her shoulders. At the age of 14, Lolita “Roxanne Shanté” Gooden was well on her way to becoming a hip-hop legend as she hustled to provide for her family while defending herself from the dangers of the streets of the Queensbridge Projects.
“Hichki”
“Hichki” is a story about a woman who turns her most daunting weakness into her biggest strength. Naina Mathur (Rani Mukerji) is an aspiring teacher who suffers from Tourette Syndrome. After several interviews and numerous rejections, she lands her dream job as a full-time teacher in one of the most elite schools in the city. However, she soon realises that the class she has been assigned comprises of defiant and impish students who can’t seem to keep out of trouble. Despite a few initial hiccups, Naina must do whatever she can to ensure that her students realize their true potential, and defy all the odds against them.
“I Got Life!” — Co-Written and Directed by Blandine Lenoir (Opens in the UK)
Single, out of work, and feeling sidelined, soon-to-be grandma Aurore (Agnès Jaoui) is dreading growing old. When she bumps into an old flame — the gorgeous Dr. Totoche (Thibault de Montalembert) — despite the odd hot flash, Aurore starts to feel sexy again, and decides to embrace middle aged life. She takes a new job, has laughs with friends, and finds romance in the arms of an unsuitable lover. And when a chance school reunion brings Aurore and Totoche back together, with it arrives a new hope that life really can begin at 50.
“I Kill Giants” (Also Available on VOD)
Young Barbara (Madison Wolfe) escapes the realities of life by retreating into a fantasy world to fight evil giants. With help from a new friend, and a school counselor, Barbara soon learns to face her fears, and battle the giants that pose a threat to her.
“Ismael’s Ghosts” — Co-Written by Léa Mysius and Julie Peyr
When a filmmaker named Ismael (Mathieu Amalric) is tormented by the ghosts of past lovers Carlotta (Marion Cotillard) and Sylvia (Charlotte Gainsbourg), he abandons his latest film shoot to live as a recluse in his family home in Roubaix, Northern France.
“Madame” — Co-Written and Directed by Amanda Sthers (Also Available on VOD)
Adding a little spice to a waning marriage, Anne and Bob (Toni Collette and Harvey Keitel), a wealthy and well-connected American couple, move into a manor house in romantic Paris. While preparing a particularly luxurious dinner for sophisticated international friends, the hostess discovers there are 13 guests. Panic-stricken, Anne insists her loyal maid Maria (Rossy de Palma) disguise herself as a mysterious Spanish noblewoman to even out the numbers. But a little too much wine and some playful chat lead Maria to accidentally endear herself to a dandy British art broker. Their budding romance will have Anne chasing her maid around Paris, and plotting to destroy this most unexpected and joyous love affair.
“Midnight Sun”
Seventeen-year-old Katie Price (Bella Thorne) has been sheltered at home since childhood with a rare genetic condition, a life-threatening sensitivity to sunlight. Having only her father Jack (Rob Riggle) for company, Katie’s world opens up after dark when she ventures outside to play her guitar. One night, her dreams come true when she’s noticed and asked out by her longtime crush Charlie (Patrick Schwarzenegger), whom she’s secretly watched from her bedroom window for years. As they embark on nightly summer excursions, Katie’s risk to sunlight grows, and she’s presented with the gut-wrenching dilemma of whether she can live a normal life with her newfound soul mate.
“Pacific Rim Uprising” — Co-Written by Kira Snyder and Emily Carmichael
The rebellious Jake Pentecost (John Boyega), is a once-promising Jaeger pilot whose legendary father gave his life to secure humanity’s victory against the monstrous “Kaiju.” Jake has since abandoned his training only to become caught up in a criminal underworld. But when an even more unstoppable threat is unleashed to tear through our cities, and bring the world to its knees, he is given one last chance to live up to his father’s legacy by his estranged sister, Mako Mori (Rinko Kikuchi), who is leading a brave new generation of pilots that have grown up in the shadow of war. As they seek justice for the fallen, their only hope is to unite together in a global uprising against the forces of extinction.
“A Bag of Marbles” — Co-Written by Alexandra Geismar
Paris, 1941: Joseph and Maurice (Dorian Le Clech and Batyste Fleurial) are the sons of Roman, the local barber. At 10 and 12, the boys have so little understanding of the persecution of Jews that Joseph thinks nothing of swapping his yellow star for a bag of marbles. Despite their naiveté, Roman (Patrick Bruel) knows that their best chance to escape the Nazi roundup is to flee on their own to Vichy France, where their older brothers Albert and Henri have found safe haven. Always one false move from tragedy, these tenacious urchins survive on courage, ingenuity, and more than a bit of cunning as they make their precarious way through France hoping to reunite with their family. More than anything, it’s their brotherly bond that gets them through their ordeals.
“Pyewacket” (Also Available on VOD)
A frustrated, angst-ridden teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to evoke a witch to kill her mother.
March 30
“Outside In” — Co-Written and Directed by Lynn Shelton (Available on VOD April 3)
After serving 20 years for the crime of essentially being in the wrong place at the wrong time, 38-year-old Chris (Jay Duplass) is granted early parole thanks largely to the tireless advocacy of Carol (Edie Falco), his former high-school teacher. As he struggles with the challenges of navigating the modern world as an ex-con, and with a fraught relationship with his brother Ted (Ben Schwartz), Chris ends up confessing his romantic love for Carol — a love that, given her marital status, Carol cannot reciprocate. Or can she? Carol longs for something her husband no longer provides. Meanwhile, Carol’s daughter Hildy (Kaitlyn Dever) befriends Chris, finding a kindred spirit in this awkward, tormented older guy.
“All I Wish” — Written and Directed by Susan Walter (Also Available on VOD)
An aspiring fashion designer (Sharon Stone) struggles to find success and love until unexpectedly meeting her match on her birthday.
“Acrimony”
A faithful wife (Taraji P. Henson), tired of standing by her devious husband (Lyriq Bent), is enraged when it becomes clear she has been betrayed.
“Gemini”
A heinous crime tests the complex relationship between a tenacious personal assistant (Lola Kirke), and her Hollywood starlet boss (Zoë Kravitz). As the assistant travels across Los Angeles to unravel the mystery, she must stay one step ahead of a determined policeman (John Cho), and confront her own understanding of friendship, truth, and celebrity.
“Finding Your Feet” — Co-Written by Meg Leonard (U.S. Release)
On the eve of retirement a middle class, judgmental snob discovers her husband has been having an affair with her best friend and is forced into exile with her bohemian sister, who lives on an impoverished inner-city council estate.
“Fourplay” — Co-Written by Emanuela Galliussi
A story of friendship, love, marriage, secrets, and lies that unfolds between two couples in one apartment during a Sunday brunch that will affect their lives forever.
