Weekly Update for September 13: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING

Hustlers – Written and Directed by Lorene Scafaria

Inspired by a New York Magazine article by Jessica Pressler that went viral, the story centers around a group of former strip club employees, led by an aging dancer (Jennifer Lopez) and an ambitious single mother (Constance Wu), while they lie, steal, and hustle dozens of their Wall Street clients as the sex industry bottoms out during the late-2000s financial crisis.

Find screening info here.

The Weekend – Written and Directed by Stella Meghie (Also Available on VOD)

In this laugh-out-loud romantic comedy, Zadie (Sasheer Zamata, “Saturday Night Live”) goes on an insane weekend getaway with her ex, Bradford (Tone Bell, “The Flash”), and his new girlfriend (DeWanda Wise, “She’s Gotta Have It”). At the B&B run by her nosy mom (Kym Whitley, “Deliver Us from Eva”), Zadie feels like a third wheel until handsome Aubrey (Y’lan Noel, “The First Purge”) shows up. Suddenly jealous, Bradford tries to sabotage Zadie’s budding romance with Aubrey — with hilarious results!

Tall Girl – Directed by Nzingha Stewart (Available on Netflix)

“Tall Girl”: Netflix

Jodi (Ava Michelle) has always been the tallest girl in school — and she’s always been uncomfortable with it. After slouching her way through life for 16 years and being made fun of by classmates, Jodi meets Stig (Luke Eisner), a seemingly perfect Swedish foreign exchange student who’s even taller than she is. Jodi’s new crush turns her world upside down and throws her into a surprising love triangle, but with the help of her two best friends (Griffin Gluck, Anjelika Washington) as well as her beauty queen sister Harper (Sabrina Carpenter), Jodi comes to realize that she’s far more than her insecurities about her appearance have led her to believe.

Hello, Privilege. It’s Me, Chelsea (Documentary) – Directed by Alex Stapleton (Available on Netflix)

Chelsea Handler explores how white privilege impacts American culture — and the ways it’s benefited her own life and career.

Can You Keep a Secret? – Directed by Elise Duran (Also Available on VOD)

On the way home from a botched client meeting, Emma (Alexandra Daddario) mistakenly reveals all her deepest secrets to a handsome stranger sitting next to her when her plane hits turbulence. At least, she thought he was a stranger — until she later meets Jack (Tyler Hoechlin), her company’s young CEO, who now knows every humiliating detail about her.

Riot Girls – Directed Jovanka Vuckovic; Written by Katherine Collins (Also Available on VOD)

“Riot Girls”

After a mysterious illness has killed all adults, the town of Potter’s Bluff has been divided into two rival factions: the “East Side,” made up of scrappy scavengers living amongst the ruins, and the “West Side,” which hoards its wealth in the former high school and is ruled by brutal dictator, Jeremy (Munro Chambers, “Degrassi: The Next Generation”). When Jack (Alexandre Bourgeois, “Departure”), an Eastsider, is forced to kill two Westsiders while on a scavenging mission, he is captured and taken back to the West Side, where he awaits public execution. Jack’s sister, Nat (Madison Iseman), and her best friend, Scratch (Paloma Kwiatkowski), must cross into dangerous territory if they hope to save him.

Freaks

Kept locked inside the house by her father, seven-year-old Chloe (Lexy Kolker) lives in fear and fascination of the outside world, where Abnormals create a constant threat — or so she believes. When a mysterious stranger offers her a glimpse of what’s really happening outside, Chloe soon finds that while the truth isn’t so simple, the danger is very real.

FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING

Cracked Up (Documentary) – Directed by Michelle Esrick (Opens in NY; Opens September 20 in LA)

“Cracked Up”

In “Cracked Up,” we witness the impact that childhood trauma can have over a lifetime through the incredible story of award-winning actor, comedian, master impressionist, and “Saturday Night Live” star Darrell Hammond. Hammond is famous for his impressions of Bill Clinton, Donald Trump, Sean Connery, and more, but few know his true story. Hammond performed brilliantly on live TV, but behind the scenes he struggled with debilitating flashbacks, self injury, alcohol, and drugs, and was once taken out of “SNL” in a straight jacket. He was misdiagnosed for 40 years with different mental illnesses and put on a long list of medications. After a suicide attempt, Hammond finally met the doctor who gave him the proper diagnosis of “childhood trauma.” Courageously transparent, Hammond takes us through his past and present day experiences with incredible resilience, vulnerability, wisdom, and humor.

Find screening info here.

Moonlight Sonata: Deafness in Three Movements (Documentary) – Directed by Irene Taylor Brodsky (Opens in NY; Opens September 20 in LA)

Irene Taylor Brodsky builds on her powerful first feature, “Hear and Now,” by delving into an intergenerational exploration of living with deafness. Brodsky’s son Jonas began losing his hearing as a baby and underwent cochlear-implant surgery as a toddler. Now 11 years old, Jonas has adjusted to a world with sound and is learning to play Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata.” Brodsky’s parents also have cochlear implants, but unlike Jonas, the majority of their lives were shaped by silence. While Jonas explores what silence means to him, his grandfather grapples with a new transition of his own.

Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Irene Taylor Brodsky.

Find screening info here.

Midnight Traveler (Documentary) – Written by Emelie Mahdavian (Opens September 18 in NY)

“Midnight Traveler”

When the Taliban puts a bounty on Afghan director Hassan Fazili’s head, he is forced to flee with his wife and two young daughters. Capturing their uncertain journey, Fazili shows firsthand the dangers facing refugees seeking asylum and the love shared between a family on the run.

Find screening info here.

Malibu Road – Written by Emilia Bogdanova, Montgomery Markland, and Ryan Placchetti (Opens September 19)

Dr. Raymond Forrester (Montgomery Markland), professor of psychology at UCLA, takes student and Hollywood starlet Dorothy Crowder (Lillian Solange Beaudoin) to a Malibu hotel of questionable reputation. The two ingest LSD, sent in a mysterious package to Forrester, and become some of the first Americans to go on a psychedelic experience. The experience takes a turn for the deadly during New Year’s Eve 1960 and now the duo must rediscover reality or be trapped in an endless cycle of sex, drugs, and murder in “paradise.”

TV PREMIERES

Unbelievable – Created by Susannah Grant, Ayelet Waldman, and Michael Chabon (Premieres September 13 on Netflix)

“Unbelievable”

When teenager Marie Adler (Kaitlyn Dever) files a police report claiming she’s been sexually assaulted by an intruder in her home, the investigating detectives, as well as the people closest to her, come to doubt the truth of her story. Meanwhile, hundreds of miles away, detectives Grace Rasmussen and Karen Duvall (Toni Collette and Merritt Wever) meet while investigating an eerily similar pair of intruder rapes and partner to catch a potential serial rapist. Inspired by real events.

Undone – Created by Kate Purdy and Raphael Bob-Waksberg (Premieres September 13 on Amazon Prime)

“Undone” is a half hour, genre-bending, animated dramedy that explores the elastic nature of reality through its central character, Alma (Rosa Salazar), a 28-year-old living in San Antonio, Texas. After getting into a car accident and nearly dying, Alma finds she has a new relationship to time. She develops this new ability in order to find out the truth about her father’s death.

Marianne (Premieres September 13 on Netflix)

Lured back to her hometown, a famous horror writer (Victoire Du Bois) discovers that the evil spirit who plagues her dreams is now wreaking havoc in the real world.

Murder in the Bayou (Docuseries) (Premieres September 13 on Showtime)

Based on a best-selling book, this five-part true crime docu-series investigates the unsolved murders of eight women whose bodies were discovered in drainage canals and on desolate back roads in and around Jennings, Louisiana. In examining the lives of the young victims — and the violent sex and drug trade they were a part of — the series uncovers the secrets of this troubled town. These discoveries lead to even more shocking revelations, exposing corruption, bad actors and institutional injustices that have left the town still searching for truth.

A Little Late with Lilly Singh (Premieres September 16 on NBC)

A late-night talk show that features in-studio interviews as well as pre-taped comedy sketches.

Taken Down – Written by Jo Spain and Stuart Carolan (Premieres September 16 on Acorn TV)

“Taken Down”

In Dublin, a young Nigerian girl is found dead at a bus stop opening an investigation into her violent death. This leads Inspector Jen Rooney (Lynn Rafferty, “Love/Hate”) and her team of investigating detectives to a Direct Provision Centre for asylum-seekers. It is soon discovered that another girl from the center has disappeared. The police enter a murky underworld of slumlords and traffickers to find out who killed their victim and rescue the missing girl before she suffers a horrific fate.

A Little Late with Lilly Singh: The Primetime Special (Premieres September 18 on NBC)

The hour-long special will introduce primetime audiences to comedian and host, Lilly Singh, as she partakes in sketches, interviews, games, and interacts with the audience, two days following the premiere of her new late night show.