by Rachel Montpelier and Kate Gardner
Whether they are opening up about something personal, sharing a beloved fairy tale, or constructing an elaborate charade, the women associated with August’s upcoming releases can sure spin one hell of a yarn.
The first week of August will see the release of titles such as Maris Curran’s “Five Nights in Maine” and “The Little Prince.” “Five Nights in Maine” examines the oft-ignored but fascinating relationship and conflict between in-laws. In this case, the story is about a dying woman, her recently bereaved son-in-law, and their struggle to get along without a buffer. “The Little Prince” traces the profound effect stories have on lonely children, with a main character whose interest in the Little Prince and his adventures allows her to escape her small life.
Real-life women and their stories take the spotlight in “Abortion: Stories Women Tell,” a documentary that cuts through the polemics and politics and focuses on women’s and healthcare providers’ experiences. It opens on August 12, along with two films about self-constructed mythologies: “Florence Foster Jenkins” and “My King.” “Florence Foster Jenkins” starring Meryl Streep released in that August sweet spot that has become known for Streep movies, is about a woman without any musical chops and her unrealistic dream of becoming an opera singer. Meanwhile, the main character in “My King” re-examines her longtime relationship after a traumatic accident to determine whether it was quite as fulfilling as she remembers.
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” — starring, written, and directed by Natalie Portman — will be released on August 19. The film takes place just before the nation of Israel was established and is based on writer Amos Oz’s childhood. The movie focuses on his mother, Fania, whose storytelling heavily influenced Oz’s work.
The documentary “Equal Means Equal,” debuting August 26, takes stock of women’s everyday encounters with sexism and the myriad ways they are treated as second-class citizens. “The Intervention,” also out August 26, offers a fresh take on the “group of friends on vacation together” trope. Sure, four couples are spending a weekend together in a confined space. And they do confront issues like monogamy, disappointment, boredom, and the natural ebbs and flows of close friendships. But what makes this movie unique is the the fact that the mini-vacation was organized so that three of the couples could stage an intervention for the fourth couple — they want their friends to call it quits on their unhappy relationship.
Here is a preview of August’s women-centric, directed, and written films. All descriptions are from press materials, unless stated otherwise.
August 5
“The Little Prince” — Co-Written by Irena Brignull (Also Available on Netflix)
Inspired by the beloved children’s novel, a young girl (Mackenzie Foy) is being forced to grow up too fast by her overbearing mother (Rachel McAdams). Her life is changed when she meets an elderly aviator (Jeff Bridges), who tells her extraordinary stories of the world he was shown by the Little Prince (Riley Osborne). Through his stories, she learns that what matters most in the world is human connection in this magical, animated fairy tale.
“Amateur Night” — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Lisa Addario
Guy Carter (Jason Biggs) is an award-winning graduate student of architecture. He’s got a beautiful wife and a baby on the way. The problem? Guy has been trying to find work in his field for a year with no luck. At wit’s end, his wife Anne (Jenny Mollen) finds him a job as a “driver” on Craigslist. Guy shows up for the interview thinking he’ll be delivering pizzas, but quickly realizes it’s a job driving prostitutes. With money too scarce to turn down, he goes for it — which is where he meets Nikki (Janet Montgomery), the tough-as-nails, unapologetic sex worker, and her two hilarious and foul-mouthed cohorts, Jaxi and Fallon (Bria Murphy and Ashley Tisdale). Over the course of one wild and sordid night, Guy proves that he has what it takes to be the responsible father his family deserves.
“Bazodee” — Written by Claire Ince
Anita Ponchouri (Natalie Perera), the dutiful Indian daughter of a deep-in-debt businessman (Kabir Bedi), is about to marry a wealthy Londoner (Staz Nair) when a chance encounter with local Trinidadian singer Lee de Leon (Machel Montano) sets things askew. In search of a muse, de Leon agrees to perform at the engagement party for both families. Unable to deny their mutual attraction, and with the excitement of Carnival approaching, Anita must now choose between the answer to her family’s financial prayers and the possibility of real love.
“Five Nights in Maine” — Written and Directed by Maris Curran (Also Available on VOD)
After his wife dies in a tragic car accident, Sherwin (David Oyelowo) is called to Maine by his estranged, terminally ill mother-in-law Lucinda (Dianne Wiest). Grappling with a lifetime of disagreements, Lucinda and Sherwin find themselves forced to cope with their failings and grief in a quiet journey of empathy, compassion, and healing.
“Nine Lives” — Co-Written by Gwyn Lurie
Tom Brand (Kevin Spacey) seems to have it all — except time to spend with his family. After he buys a cat for his daughter from a mysterious pet store, he suddenly finds himself trapped in the animal’s body. Now Tom only has a week to reconcile with his family or stay stuck as a cat forever. Christopher Walker and Jennifer Garner also star.
“Richard Linklater: Dream is Destiny” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Karen Bernstein
An intimate look at the career of director Richard Linklater, whose humble DIY beginnings in Texas gave birth to a career of innovative and iconic filmmaking.
“Sun Choke” (Also Available on VOD)
As Janie (Sarah Hagan) recovers from a violent psychotic break, she’s subjected each day to a bizarre holistic health and wellness regimen designed, and enforced, by her lifelong nanny and caretaker. But when she develops an obsession with a stranger (Sara Malakul Lane), Janie’s buried demons begin to surface.
August 10
“An Art That Nature Makes” (Documentary) — Directed by Molly Bernstein (Opens in NY)
“An Art That Nature Makes” is a in-depth portrait of the contemporary photographer Rosamond Purcell, whose sometimes disturbing but always breathtaking pictures challenge our accepted notions of death and decay, and blur the line between the natural and man-made worlds.
August 12
“Florence Foster Jenkins”
In the 1940s, New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins (Meryl Streep) dreams of becoming a great opera singer. Unfortunately, her ambition far exceeds her talent. The voice Florence hears in her head is beautiful, but to everyone else it is quite lousy. Her husband St. Clair (Hugh Grant) goes to extreme lengths to make sure his wife never finds out how awful she truly is. When Florence announces her plans for a concert at Carnegie Hall, St. Clair soon realizes that he’s facing his greatest challenge yet.
“Abortion: Stories Women Tell” (Documentary) — Directed by Tracy Droz Tragos
In 1973, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade gave every woman the right to have an abortion. Since 2011, more than half the states in the nation have significantly restricted access to abortions. In 2016, abortion remains one of the most divisive issues in America, especially in Missouri, where only one abortion clinic remains open, patients and their doctors must navigate a 72-hour waiting period, and each year sees more restrictions.
Tracy Droz Tragos sheds new light on the contentious issue, with a focus not on the debate, but rather on the women themselves: those struggling with unplanned pregnancies, and the providers who show up at clinics to give medical care, as well as the activists on both sides of the issue, hoping to sway decisions and lives.
“Blood Father” — Co-Written by Andrea Berloff
“Blood Father” stars Mel Gibson as John Link, an ex-convict who fights to protect his estranged daughter from the drug cartel that is hunting her down. John must use his connections from his past life and his skills as an ex-criminal to keep him and his daughter alive. “Blood Father” also stars Erin Moriarty, Diego Luna, Michael Parks, and William H. Macy.
“Disorder” — Written and Directed by Alice Winocour (Also Available on VOD)
Following a tour of duty, Afghanistan veteran Vincent (Matthias Schoenaerts) takes a job in security for a Lebanese financier and his family. When his employer is urgently called away on business, Vincent is left to ensure the safety of his wife Jessie (Diane Kruger) and their child. Vincent battles his own PTSD-fueled paranoia while clinging to the certainty that Jessie and her family are in immediate danger, unleashing a hell-bent determination to protect them at all costs.
“The Lost Arcade” (Documentary) — Co-Written by Irene Chin (Opens in NY)
In the heart of New York’s Chinatown is the Chinatown Fair, a legendary arcade that changed lives by becoming a shelter for a diverse community.
“My King (Mon Roi)” — Co-Written and Directed by Maïwenn
Tony (Emmanuelle Bercot) is admitted to a rehabilitation center after a serious ski accident. Dependent on the medical staff and pain relievers, she takes time to look back on the turbulent ten-year relationship she experienced with Georgio (Vincent Cassel). A difficult process of healing is in front of her — physical work which may finally set her free.
“The Model”
When emerging fashion model Emma (Maria Palm) gets a chance to pursue her dream of becoming an international top model, she leaves her everyday life in Denmark behind and moves to Paris. At a photo shoot in her new hometown, she meets the attractive photographer Shane White (Ed Skrein) and they fall in love. But their relationship soon turns into a dangerous obsession for Emma
August 17
“When Two Worlds Collide” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Heidi Brandenburg (Opens in NY)
Set against the backdrop of climate crisis and global recession, “When Two Worlds Collide” centers on a young indigenous activist, Alberto Pizango, fighting to make the voices of indigenous Peruvians heard as the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed. Pizango is accused of conspiracy and inciting violence in this vivid depiction of conflicting political wills.
August 19
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” — Written and Directed by Natalie Portman
“A Tale of Love and Darkness” is based on the memories of Amos Oz, growing up in Jerusalem in the years before Israeli statehood with Arieh, his academic father (Gilad Kahana), and Fania (Natalie Portman), his dreamy, imaginative mother. They were one of many Jewish families who moved to Palestine from Europe during the 1930s and 40s to escape persecution. Unhappy in her marriage and intellectually stifled, Fania would make up stories of adventures (like treks across the desert) to cheer herself up and entertain 10-year-old Amos (Amir Tessler). When independence didn’t bring the renewed sense of life that Fania had hoped for, she slipped into solitude and sadness. As Amos witnessed the birth of Israel, he had to come to terms with his own new beginning.
“Ixcanul” (Opens in NY)
A young indigenous woman (María Telón) enters into an arranged marriage on the slopes of an active volcano in Guatemala.
“Mia Madre” — Co-Written by Valia Santella
A harried filmmaker (Margherita Buy) tries to juggle the demands of her latest movie with a personal life in shambles. The star of her film, a bombastic American actor (John Turturro), presents nothing but headaches and her crew is close to mutiny. Away from the shoot, Margherita tries to hold her life together as her mother’s illness progresses and her teenage daughter grows ever more distant.
August 24
“Kate Plays Christine” (Documentary) (Opens in NY)
Actress Kate Lyn Sheil prepares to tackle a challenging role — stepping into the shoes of Christine Chubbuck, a real-life news reporter who killed herself on national television in 1974.
August 26
“Ace the Case”
Left in the care of her teenage brother Miles (Aaron Sauter) while their mom is out of town, 10-year-old Olivia Haden (Ripley Sobo) takes her dog Charlie for a late-night walk and witnesses a brazen kidnapping. But when she tells Miles what she has seen, he dismisses her, and when she reports it to the NYPD, only a sympathetic detective named Dottie (Susan Sarandon) will even listen. Without solid evidence, there’s nothing Dottie can do, so the intrepid tween sets out to solve the crime herself.
“Black Songbird” — Written and Directed by Raquel Deloatch
Blinded by ambition to find the killers of her childhood friends and advance her career, rookie journalist Knight Daye (Jenique Bennett) is recruited by the FBI to go undercover as a party hostess at a club that fronts for organized crime. Knight enters the glamorous world, but learns that there is something more sinister lurking behind all the glamour.
“Equal Means Equal” (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Kamala Lopez (Opens in LA; Opens in NY September 2)
“Equal Means Equal” offers an unflinching look at how women are treated in the United States today. Examining both real-life stories and precedent-setting legal cases, director Kamala Lopez uncovers how outdated and discriminatory attitudes inform and influence seemingly disparate issues, from workplace harassment to domestic violence, rape and sexual assault to the foster care system, and the healthcare conglomerate to the judicial system.
“Fatima” (Opens in NY)
Fatima (Soria Zeroual) is a divorced woman holding down several menial jobs while trying to raise her two teenage daughters. She emigrated from North Africa to France at 20, but a number of years later she struggles to speak enough French to communicate with her own daughters, Nesrine (Zita Hanrot) and Souad (Kenza-Noah Aïche), whose lives she is tirelessly devoted to improving. Nesrine is trying to strike a balance between cramming for her pre-med exams and dating, while the younger and more rebellious Souad is testing her limits and her mother’s patience by acting out. Facing veiled racism, suspicion, awkwardness, and shame on a daily basis, Fatima discovers that the perfect outlet for her frustrations is also the best way to tell her daughters how she really feels.
“The Intervention” — Written and Directed by Clea DuVall
A weekend getaway for four couples takes a sharp turn when one of the couples discovers the entire trip was orchestrated to host an intervention on their marriage. Natasha Lyonne, Alia Shawkat, Cobie Smulders, Clea DuVall, Melanie Lynskey, Jason Ritter, Ben Schwartz, and Vincent Piazza star.
“Remember the Goal”
A young female coach (Allee Sutton Hethcoat) takes over the cross-country team at an all-girls private Christian school and attempts to lead them to the state title.
August 31
“The Seasons in Quincy: Four Portraits of John Berger” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Tilda Swinton
Four different directors craft four different shorts studying the English artist and thinker John Berger.
