Films About Women Opening This Week
Woman in Gold
“Woman in Gold” is the remarkable true story of one woman’s journey to reclaim her heritage and seek justice for what happened to her family. Sixty years after she fled Vienna during World War II, an elderly Jewish woman, Maria Altmann (Helen Mirren), starts her journey to retrieve family possessions seized by the Nazis, among them Klimt’s famous painting “Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I.” Together with her inexperienced but plucky young lawyer Randy Schoenberg (Ryan Reynolds), she embarks upon a major battle that takes them all the way to the heart of the Austrian establishment and the U.S. Supreme Court, and forces her to confront difficult truths about the past along the way. (Press materials)
Effie Gray — Written by Emma Thompson
In her original screenplay “Effie Gray,” Emma Thompson takes a bold look at the real-life story of the Effie Gray-John Ruskin marriage, while courageously exposing what was truly hiding behind the veil of their public life. Set in a time when neither divorce nor gay marriage were an option, “Effie Gray” is the story of a young woman (Dakota Fanning) coming of age, and finding her own voice in a world where women were expected to be seen but not heard. “Effie Gray” explores the roots of sexual intolerance, which continue to have a stronghold today, while shedding light on the marital politics of the Victorian era. (Press materials)
About Elly
As with director Asghar Farhadi’s better-known films, “About Elly” concerns the affluent, well-educated, cultured, and only marginally religious members of Iran’s upper-middle class. Elly (Taraneh Alidoosti), a pretty young woman invited as a possible romantic interest for one of the newly single men among this group, disappears suddenly without a trace. The festive atmosphere quickly turns frantic as friends accuse one another of responsibility. Plot-wise, Farhadi’s drama has been compared to “L’Avventura”; but the film is less concerned with Elly’s disappearance per se than with exploring the intricate mechanisms of deceit, brutality, and betrayal which come into play when ordinary circumstances take a tragic turn. (Press materials)
Films About Women Currently Playing
52 Tuesdays — Written and Co-Directed by Sophie Hyde
A Girl Like Her — Written and Directed by Amy S. Weber
A Wolf at the Door
Backcountry
The Divergent Series: Insurgent
She’s Lost Control — Written and Directed by Anja Marquardt
Kumiko, The Treasure Hunter
Cinderella — Co-Written by Aline Brosh McKenna
It Follows
Maps to the Stars
Everly (streaming on VOD)
Fifty Shades of Grey — Directed by Sam Taylor-Johnson; Written by Kelly Marcel
Gett: The Trial of Viviane Amsalem — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Ronit Elkabetz
Jupiter Ascending
Still Alice
Two Days, One Night
Ida
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry
Wild
Films Directed by Women Opening This Week
The Hand That Feeds (doc) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Rachel Lears
At a popular bakery café, residents of New York’s Upper East Side get bagels and coffee served with a smile 24 hours a day. But behind the scenes, undocumented immigrant workers face sub-legal wages, dangerous machinery, and abusive managers who will fire them for calling in sick. Mild-mannered sandwich maker Mahoma López has never been interested in politics, but in January 2012 he convinces a small group of his co-workers to fight back. Risking deportation and the loss of their livelihood, the workers team up with a diverse crew of innovative young organizers and take the unusual step of forming their own independent union, launching themselves on a journey that will test the limits of their resolve. In one roller-coaster year, they must overcome a shocking betrayal and a two-month lockout. Lawyers will battle in back rooms, Occupy Wall Street protesters will take over the restaurant, and a picket line will divide the neighborhood. If they can win a contract, it will set a historic precedent for low-wage workers across the country. But whatever happens, Mahoma and his coworkers will never be exploited again. (Press materials)
Read Women & Hollywood’s interview with director Rachel Lears.
Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Serena — Directed by Susanne Bier
The Riot Club (streaming on VOD) — Directed by Lone Scherfig; Written by Laura Wade
Amour Fou — Directed by Jessica Hausner
McFarland, USA — Directed by Niki Caro; Co-Written by Bettina Gilois
Selma — Directed by Ava DuVernay
Citizenfour (doc) — Directed by Laura Poitras
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
Chappie — Co-Written by Terri Tatchell
Strange Magic — Co-Written by Irene Mecchi
The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies — Co-Written by Philippa Boyens and Fran Walsh
VOD/DVD Releasing This Week
Fantail — Written by Sophie Henderson
To Write Love on Her Arms — Written by Kate King Lynch
Wild
