Women and Hollywood is going on vacation next week, so this weekly update encompasses the next two weeks.
Films About Women Opening
Opening August 22
If I Stay
Mia Hall (Chloë Grace Moretz) thought the hardest decision she would ever face would be whether to pursue her musical dreams at Juilliard or follow a different path to be with the love of her life, Adam (Jamie Blackley). But what should have been a carefree family drive changes everything in an instant, and now her own life hangs in the balance. Caught between life and death for one revealing day, Mia has only one decision left, which will not only decide her future but her ultimate fate. (IfIStayMovie.com)
May in the Summer — Written and Directed by Cherien Dabis
May in the Summer is Cherien Dabis’ second film about people who live in two worlds. (Her debut was the Sundance hit Amreeka.) In addition to writing and directing, Dabis went in front of the camera for the first time in her sophomore film, where she plays May, a successful writer in NYC who grew up in Jordan. Much to the chagrin of her born-again Christian mother (Hiam Abbas), she returns home to get married to her Muslim fiancé. When she reunites with her family, especially her two young sisters, she confronts fissures in her identity and her relationship that make her rethink her life decisions. (Melissa Silverstein)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Cherien Dabis about May in the Summer.
Opening August 29
The Congress
More than two decades after catapulting to stardom with The Princess Bride, an aging actress (Robin Wright, playing a version of herself) decides to take her final job: preserving her digital likeness for a future Hollywood. Through a deal brokered by her loyal, long-time agent (Harvey Keitel) and the head of Miramount Studios (Danny Huston), her alias will be controlled by the studio, and will star in any film they want with no restrictions. In return, she receives healthy compensation so she can care for her ailing son and her digitized character will stay forever young. Twenty years later, under the creative vision of the studio’s head animator (Jon Hamm), Wright’s digital double rises to immortal stardom. With her contract expiring, she is invited to take part in “The Congress” convention as she makes her comeback straight into the world of future fantasy cinema. (Drafthouse Films)
Last Weekend
A matriarch (Patricia Clarkson) asks her adult sons to visit their gorgeous Lake Tahoe home for a final weekend before she sells it, but it quickly becomes a comical disaster. (IFC Films)
Jessabelle
From the mastermind producer of Paranormal Activity and Insidious comes the ghostly tale of Jessabelle. Returning to her childhood home in Louisiana to recuperate from a horrific car accident, Jessabelle (Sarah Snook ofSleeping Beauty) comes face to face with a long-tormented spirit that has been seeking her return — and has no intention of letting her escape. (Lionsgate Films)
Films About Women Currently Playing
Abuse of Weakness — Written and Directed by Catharine Breillat
The Maid’s Room
Around the Block — Written and Directed by Sarah Spillane
Lucy
Happy Christmas
A Five Star Life — Directed by Maria Sole Tognazzi; Co-Written by Francesca Marciano and Maria Sole Tognazzi
Tammy — Co-Written by Melissa McCarthy
Belle — Directed by Amma Asante; Written by Misan Sagay
Obvious Child — Written and Directed by Gillian Robespierre
The Fault in Our Stars
Maleficent — Written by Linda Woolverton
We Are the Best!
Ida
Under the Skin
Films Directed by Women Opening
Opening August 22
To Be Takei (doc) — Directed by Jennifer M. Kroot
Meet the Takeis — George and Brad — two married men who go around the country talking about Star Trek, gay marriage, and other important issues like the Japanese-American internment during World War II. It’s impossible not to be fascinated the life George Takei has led — now chronicled in a new documentary by director Jennifer M. Kroot — and how he has remade himself in his twilight years into an activist, a radio host, and a social-media star. (Melissa Silverstein)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Jennifer M. Kroot about To Be Takei.
Opening August 29
The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears — Co-Directed by Hélène Cattet
Dan returns home to find his wife is missing. With no signs of struggle or break-in and with no help from the police, Dan’s search for answers leads him down a psychosexual rabbit hole. The Strange Color of Your Body’s Tears is a bloody and taut fantasia of suspense that leaves the viewer entranced in this highly original erotic thriller. (Strand Releasing)Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Fort McCoy — Written and Directed by Kate Connor
Rich Hill — Co-Directed by Tracy Droz Tragos
Land Ho! — Co-Directed by Martha Stephens
Fifi Howls from Happiness — Directed by Mitra Farahani
Step Up All In — Directed by Trish Sie
The Dog (doc) — Co-Directed by Allison Berg
Web Junkie (doc) — Directed by Hilla Medalia and Shosh Shlam
Fed Up (doc) — Co-Written and Directed by Stephanie Soechtig
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
Jealousy — Co-Written by Caroline Deruas-Garrel and Arlette Langmann
Guardians of the Galaxy — Co-Written by Nicole Perlman
Sex Tape — Co-Written by Kate Angelo
Dawn of the Planet of the Apes — Co-Written by Amanda Silver
DVD/VOD
Blended — Co-Written by Clare Sera
Legends of Oz: Dorothy’s Return — Co-Written by Randi Barnes
Young and Beautiful
