By Antora Majumdar and Keno Katsuda
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to watch more movies, January’s film releases will help you reach your goal. With a solid mix of wholly original women-centric and women-made films, 2019 is starting out strong.
The month kicks off with a bang, featuring two intensely thrilling films that will have you biting your nails up until the credits roll. Directed by Jen McGowan, “Rust Creek” (January 4) is the story of a young woman who finds herself deep in the forest, being held captive in a trailer by a man who claims to be on her side. With very few options, she must decide whether the danger she faces being alone with a stranger are worse than those that await her in the woods. A selection at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival, Meredith Danluck’s “State Like Sleep” (January 4) is a modern noir thriller starring Katherine Waterston (“Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them”) as a woman whose husband has just died under suspicious circumstances. Desperate to find answers, she tracks his last known movements, only to find herself thrust into a world of secrets and violence.
January will also offer a few films focusing on notable and quirky characters. “The Heiresses” (January 16), which was selected as Paraguay’s nomination for the 91st Academy Awards, is an intimate portrait of the relationship between Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita (Margarita Irun). The two are wealthy women who fall on hard times, revolutionizing the way they seem themselves in the world. Family drama “All These Small Moments” (January 17) follows teenager Howie (Brendan Meyer) as he deals with the fallout from his parents’ relationship troubles and forges an unlikely friendship with a woman he meets on the bus (Jemina Kirke). Rachel Tunnard’s “Adult Life Skills” (January 18) centers on another odd duo, with “Dr. Who’s” Jodie Whittaker starring as Anna, a woman reluctant to transition into adulthood, who finds herself in the frequent company of an eight-year-old boy.
The tail end of the month will also see several films delving into contemporary discussions of identity, sex, and gender. In Marianna Palka’s “Egg” (January 18), two old friends (Alysia Reiner and Christina Hendricks) face off over the best way to start a family during the dinner party from hell. And the Netflix film “Girl” (January 18) follows protagonist Lara (Victor Polster) as she pursues her dream of becoming a ballerina while also navigating her transgender identity.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films premiering in January. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
January 4
“Rust Creek” – Directed by Jen McGowan; Written by Julie Lipson
“Rust Creek”
An ordinary woman must summon extraordinary courage to survive a nightmare odyssey in this harrowing survival thriller. Sawyer (Hermione Corfield) is an ambitious, overachieving college senior with a seemingly bright future. While on her way to a job interview, a wrong turn leaves her stranded deep in the frozen Kentucky woods. Suddenly, the young woman with everything to live for finds herself facing her own mortality as she’s punished by the elements and pursued by a band of ruthless outlaws. With nowhere left to run, she is forced into an uneasy alliance with Lowell (Jay Paulson), an enigmatic loner with shadowy intentions. Though she’s not sure she can trust him, Sawyer must take a chance if she hopes to escape alive.
“State Like Sleep” – Written and Directed by Meredith Danluck (Also Available on VOD)
“State Like Sleep”
One year after the mysterious death of her Belgian actor husband (Michiel Huisman), American photographer Katherine (Katherine Waterston) returns to Brussels, a city filled with memories of the life she’s tried to leave behind. Their marriage was rocky, but Katherine’s return to the city forces her to finally confront her grief as she packs up the flat they once shared. In doing so, though, she discovers a web of secrets that propel her to probe the circumstances of her husband’s last days. Following in his footsteps, Katherine plunges into Brussels’ underground club scene, where she encounters a mysterious woman and a secret group of friends. At the same time, she meets Edward (Michael Shannon), a fellow American, who offers the possibility of a new future as she comes to terms with her troubled past.
“Being Rose”
After being diagnosed with serious health issues, ex-cop Rose Jones (Cybill Shepherd), goes on a road trip to search for her estranged son. Along the way, she falls in love with Max (James Brolin), a handsome old cowboy, who has come to a crossroads of his own.
“Escape Room” – Written by Maria Melnik and Bragi F. Schut
This psychological thriller is about six strangers who find themselves in circumstances beyond their control and must use their wits to find the clues or die.
January 11
“Touch Me Not” – Written and Directed by Adina Pintilie (Opens in NY)
“Touch Me Not”
On the fluid border between reality and fiction, “Touch Me Not” follows the emotional journeys of Laura (Laura Benson), Tómas (Tómas Lemarquis), and Christian (Christian Bayerlein), offering a deeply empathic insight into their lives. Craving intimacy yet also deeply afraid of it, they work to overcome old patterns, defense mechanisms, and taboos, to cut the cord and finally be free.
“Ashes in the Snow”
“Ashes in the Snow”
In 1941, a 16 year-old aspiring artist (Bel Powley) and her family are deported to Siberia amidst Stalin’s brutal dismantling of the Baltic region. One girl’s passion for art and her never-ending hope will break the silence of history.
“The Aspern Papers” – Written by Hannah Bhuiya
Set in Venice in 1885, Morton Vint (Jonathan Rhys Meyers), an ambiguous young writer fascinated by iconic romantic poet Jeffrey Aspern (Jon Kortajarena), strives to get his hands on the letters Aspern wrote to his beautiful mistress, Juliana Bordereau (Vanessa Redgrave). Now, decades later, Juliana lives in a Venetian palazzo with her niece (Joely Richardson), whom she dominates and Morton will come to seduce. But do these letters really exist and what scandalous information about Juliana and Aspern will they bring to the surface?
“A Dog’s Way Home” – Written by Cathryn Michon and W. Bruce Cameron
Separated from her owner, a dog sets off on a 400-mile journey to get back to the safety and security of the place she calls home. Along the way, she meets a series of new friends and manages to bring a little bit of comfort and joy to their lives.
January 16
“The Heiresses” (Opens in NY)
“The Heiresses”
Chela (Ana Brun) and Chiquita (Margarita Irun) are both descended from wealthy families in Asunción and have been together for over 30 years. But recently, their financial situation has worsened and they begin selling off their inherited possessions. But when their debts lead to Chiquita being imprisoned on fraud charges, Chela is forced to face a new reality. Driving for the first time in years, she begins to provide a local taxi service to a group of elderly wealthy ladies. As Chela settles into her new life, she encounters the much younger Angy (Ana Ivanova), forging a fresh and invigorating new connection. Chela finally begins to break out of her shell and engage with the world, embarking on her own personal, intimate revolution.
January 17
“All These Small Moments” – Written and Directed by Melissa Miller Costanzo (Available on VOD January 18)
“All These Small Moments”
Howie Sheffield (Brendan Meyer) is having a rough year. He broke his arm, and, on top of that, he and his little brother are unwilling witnesses to their parents’ (Molly Ringwald and Brian d’Arcy James) crumbling marriage. The only thing that keeps him going is the mysterious Odessa (Jemima Kirke), a young woman he sees every day on his morning bus route. Soon, Howie’s worlds begin to collide as he cultivates a tentative friendship with his beguiling classmate Lindsay (Harley Quinn Smith), as Odessa is drawn into his circle, and as his parents struggle with whether to stay together or split up.
January 18
“Adult Life Skills” – Written and Directed by Rachel Tunnard (Also Available on VOD)
“Adult Life Skills”
Anna (Jodie Whittaker) is stuck: she’s approaching 30, living like a hermit in her mum’s garden shed, and wondering why the suffragettes ever bothered. She spends her days making videos using her thumbs as actors — thumbs that bicker about things like whether Yogi Bear is a moral or existential nihilist. But Anna doesn’t show these videos to anyone and no one knows what they are for. A week before her birthday her mum serves her an ultimatum — she needs to move out of the shed, get a haircut that doesn’t put her gender in question, and stop dressing like a homeless teenager. Naturally, Anna tells her mum to “back the f-off.” However, when her school friend comes to visit, Anna’s self-imposed isolation becomes impossible to maintain. Soon she is entangled with a troubled eight-year-old boy obsessed with Westerns, and the local estate agent whose awkward interpersonal skills continually undermine his attempts to seduce her.
“Egg” – Directed by Marianna Palka; Written by Risa Mickenberg (Also Available on VOD)
“Egg”
Two art-school friends confront each other about their different visions of motherhood during an incendiary dinner party in this satirical drama. One is a successful artist who intends to become a parent via surrogate (Alysia Reiner), while the other is a trophy wife who defends the virtues of traditional motherhood (Christina Hendricks).
“Girl” (Available on Netflix)
“Girl”
Determined 15-year-old Lara (Victor Polster) is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara’s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realizes her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.
“An Acceptable Loss”
“An Acceptable Loss”: IFC Films
Former top U.S. security adviser Elizabeth “Libby” Lamm (Tika Sumpter) is threatened by associates from her dark past, including Rachel Burke (Jamie Lee Curtis), a steely, commanding politician with an unwavering knack for achieving her goals. Colluding with Rachel is Adrian (Jeff Hephner), an unyielding, patriotic chief of staff. Martin (Ben Tavassoli) harbors another type of obsession with Libby in this story of betrayal and regret.
January 25
“The Invisibles” – Written by Alejandra López and Claus Räfle
While Goebbels infamously declared Berlin “free of Jews” in 1943, some 1,700 managed to survive in Nazism’s capital until liberation. This docudrama traces the stories of four real-life survivors who learned that sometimes the best place to hide is in plain sight. While moving between cinemas, cafés, and safe houses, they dodged the Gestapo and a dense network of spies and informants, knowing that certain death was just one mistake away. Yet their prudence was at odds with their youthful inclination towards recklessness, sometimes prompting them to join the resistance, forge passports, or pose as Aryan war widows. Masterfully weaving the different story threads together, “The Invisibles” is a testament to the resourcefulness, willpower, and sheer chance that permit us to survive against incredible odds.
January 30
“The Wild Pear Tree” – Written by Ebru Ceylan, Akin Aksu, and Nuri Bilge Ceylan (Opens in NY)
The gorgeous backdrop of rolling countryside and idyllic farmland are cold comfort to the frustrated hero of “The Wild Pear Tree.” Turkish auteur Nuri Bilge Ceylan (“Once Upon a Time in Anatolia”) captures the wrenching struggles of a bright literary graduate, Sinan (Aydın Doğu Demirko), who is trying to take flight in a world he can’t entirely accept. Ceylan revives a deeply humanist cinema of ideas in tracking Sinan’s path through the more urgent questions of youth, romance, religious orthodoxy, and shaking off the burdens of your family — without ennobling the all-too-human Sinan.
