Films About Women Opening
Expecting — Written and Directed by Jessie McCormack
After years of struggling to conceive with her husband, Lizzie (Radha Mitchell) has given up hope of having a baby on her own. But when her best friend Andie (Michelle Monaghan) finds herself pregnant after a one-night stand, an unexpected solution arises: Andie offers to have the baby and give it to Lizzie. The couple agrees to the plan, on one condition: Andie must move in with them for the duration of the pregnancy. But can the women’s friendship survive until birth? Jessie McCormack’s debut is a refreshingly candid comedy about planning ahead for life’s unexpected detours. (IMDB)
Caught in the Web
This contemporary ensemble drama centers around the story of a young woman, who after learning of a terminal illness, is caught on video mistreating an elderly bus passenger. She quickly becomes the victim of a massive viral internet campaign, with her life, and the lives of everyone around her, slipping into chaos and media scrutiny. A social commentary about the “sound bite society” we are becoming, it is a moving tale of the effects media and technology have on the truth, and the damage quick judgments can cause. (Rotten Tomatoes)
Twice Born — Co-Written by Margaret Mazzantini
The year was 1984. With the Winter Olympics fast approaching, Gemma (Penelope Cruz) was in Bosnia when she fell in love with dashing American photographer Diego (Emile Hirsch). Their passions burned bright during their brief time together, but shortly after Gemma voiced her desire to become a mother, civil war erupted and plunged the country — and their romance — into chaos. Flash forward to present day, when Gemma receives word that an exhibition of Diego’s photographs is about to go on display in Sarajevo. Still very much haunted by her complex and difficult past, Gemma boards a plane bound for Sarajevo with her teenage son. The moment she steps off the plane, the memories come rushing back. Later, as Gemma escorts her son around the city sharing stories from her youth, everything she sees seems to stir vivid memories of that ill-fated love affair, and the many ways that the harrowing experience shaped her into the person she is today. (IMDB)
Paradise Hope — Co-Written by Veronika Franz
The concluding chapter of the trilogy tells the story of overweight 13-year-old Melanie and her first love. While her mother travels to Kenya (Paradise: Love) and her aunt does missionary work (Paradise: Faith), Melanie spends her summer vacation at a strict diet camp for overweight teenagers. Between physical education and nutrition counseling, pillow fights and her first cigarette, Melanie falls in love with the camp director, a doctor forty years her senior. (IMDB)
Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Rebellion
Madoka Kaname has changed the world. In this new world, is what the magical girls see a world of hope… or despair? The story begins after the events of Part 2: Eternal. With an all new story and original animation set for the big screen, there is no doubt that the movie will provide a new experience for both fans who have enjoyed the previous movies, and those who are just seeing Madoka Magica for the first time. (IMDB)
S#x Acts — Written by Rona Segal
This Israeli teen drama is an exploration of the vast gray zone between consensual and nonconsexual sex. “A crash course in sexual ethics,” as I wrote in my Village Voice review, it centers on a girl named Gili, who “makes ‘friends’ with boys by offering handies and blowjobs. … But trading sexual favors for attention is rarely a long-term solution to deep insecurities. The blurry lines between manipulation and force, especially for teens like Gili who are sexually experienced but emotionally naive, are a rich and underexplored subject” — one S#x Acts explores with admirable boldness. (Inkoo Kang)
White Reindeer
Christmastime is looking swell for pretty, unassuming real-estate-agent Suzanne Barrington: she just sold a house to a nice swinger couple; her weatherman husband Jeff scored a sweet new job; and her favorite holiday is quickly approaching. After a sudden tragedy takes Jeff away, Suzanne is left lost and lonely. Even worse, a friend of his confesses a secret: there’s another woman. Her name’s Fantasia and she works at the “girl club.” In their grief, the two women form an awkward but meaningful friendship. Pushing away the ghosts of Christmas present, Suzanne falls into Fantasia’s world of dance parties, shoplifting and substances! But maybe that’s not what Suzanne’s looking for either. (IMDB)
Films About Women Currently Playing
Frozen — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Jennifer Lee
The Punk Singer (doc) — Directed by Sini Anderson
Catching Fire
Strong Black Woman
The Broken Circle Breakdown
Go for Sisters
How I Live Now
The Book Thief
Blue is the Warmest Color
Gravity
Grace Unplugged
Baggage Claim
Enough Said — Written and Directed by Nicole Holofcener
Wadjda — Written and Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour
Short Term 12
Austenland — Written and Directed by Jerusha Hess, Adapted for the Screen by Jerusha Hess and Shannon Hale
In A World… — Written and Directed by Lake Bell
Blue Jasmine
Films Directed by Women Opening This Weekend
Breakfast with Curtis — Written and Directed by Laura Colella
Syd, an eccentric bookseller with delusions of grandeur fueled by red wine, caused a rift five years ago between the freewheeling bohemian residents of his house and the family next door. Now over the course of a balmy summer, he tries to draft the boy next door to make videos for his online book business. Introverted young Curtis is reluctant at first, but soon gets drawn in by Syd’s creative fervor. Their unlikely bond dissolves bad blood between their households, replacing old grudges and repressed secrets with new camaraderie and fresh possibility. The transformative power of forgiveness sparks Curtis’s first seminal summer and a season of change for all. (IMDB)
Merry Christmas — Written and Directed by Anna Condo
With money running low, nine New Yorkers forgo their annual Christmas in Aspen and head to Pennsylvania for a murder-mystery weekend. (IMDB)
Read the article Anna Condo wrote for Women and Hollywood here.
Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Black Nativity — Co-Written and Directed by Kasi Lemmons
Sunlight Jr. — Directed by Laurie Collyer
Films Written by Women Opening This Weekend
Khumba — Co-Written by Raffaella Delle Donne
Rejected by his superstitious herd, a half-striped zebra embarks on a daring quest to earn his stripes but finds the courage and self-acceptance to save all the animals of the Great Karoo. (IMDB)
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
Dallas Buyers Club — Co-Written by Melissa Wallack
Films By and About Women on DVD/And Or On Demand
Adore — Directed by Anne Fontaine
Il Futuro — Co-Written and Directed by Alicia Scherson
Touchy Feely — Written and Directed by Lynn Shelton
The Little Mermaid
