From live-action remakes to festival darlings and intimate documentaries, there are plenty of films by and about women to support in March. Kicking things off is Kelly Reichardt’s much anticipated return to the Western genre, “First Cow” (March 6). On the run from a band of vengeful hunters in the 1820s Pacific Northwest, the film’s two protagonists try to make their fortune with a prized dairy cow.
Also out March 6 is Emily Ting’s SXSW pic “Go Back to China,” the story of an entitled rich girl who — after being financially cut off by her dad — must work at the family business’ factory in China.
Three favorites from the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival will hit screens this month, starting with “Swallow” (March 6). It sees a newly pregnant woman, with a seemingly perfect life, becoming obsessed with swallowing dangerous objects as a way to regain power over her hyper-controlled life. Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole’s sea shanty-inspired “Blow the Man Down” comes to Amazon Prime March 20. Set in a idyllic New England fishing town, it tells the tale of the Connolly Sisters, who find themselves uncovering a series of macabre mysteries. And then there’s Katharine O’Brien’s “Lost Transmissions” (March 13), in which an aspiring musician collaborates with a record producer struggling with schizophrenia.
One of the most anticipated releases this month is Niki Caro’s live-action remake of “Mulan” (March 27). You know the story — a young woman masquerades as a man to serve as a soldier and bring honor to her family. But that may be the only similarity to the 1998 animated classic. Instead of a musical, for example, this “Mulan” aims to be a historically-minded period piece with realistic choreography and inspiration from cultural legends passed down over centuries.
Some of March’s other notable premieres include Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” and Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always,” both hitting theaters March 13. The former explores the relationship between a man with ailing mental health, and his daughter, who is doing her best to support him. The latter follows a teen girl who, with the help of her cousin, travels from rural Pennsylvania to New York City to get an abortion.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films debuting this March. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
March 6
“Go Back to China” – Written and Directed by Emily Ting (Also Available on VOD)
“Go Back to China”
This semi-autobiographical film follows spoiled rich girl Sasha Li (Anna Akana), who after blowing through most of her trust fund, is forced by her father (Richard Ng) to go back to China and work for the family toy business. What begins simply as a way to regain financial support soon develops into a life-altering journey of self-discovery, as Sasha discovers her passion for toy designing and learns to reconnect with her estranged family.
“First Cow” – Directed by Kelly Reichardt; Written by Kelly Reichardt and Jonathan Raymond
Set in the early 1800s Pacific Northwest, a quiet but skilled cook (John Magaro) travels west and joins a group of fur trappers in Oregon Territory. There he finds a true connection with a Chinese immigrant (Orion Lee) who’s also seeking his fortune, and soon the two collaborate on a successful business — which is contingent on secretly involving a nearby wealthy landowner’s prized milking cow.
“Hope Gap”
“Hope Gap”
The intimate, intense, and loving story of “Hope Gap” charts the life of Grace (Annette Bening), who is shocked to learn her husband (Bill Nighy) is leaving her after 29 years of marriage, and the ensuing emotional fallout the dissolution has on their only grown son (Josh O’Connor). Unraveled and feeling displaced in her small seaside town, Grace ultimately regains her footing, and discovers a new, powerful voice.
“Swallow” (Also Available on VOD)
“Swallow”
On the surface, Hunter (Haley Bennett) appears to have it all. A newly pregnant housewife, she seems content to spend her time tending to an immaculate home and doting on her Ken-doll husband, Richie (Austin Stowell). However, as the pressure to meet her controlling in-laws and husband’s rigid expectations mounts, cracks begin to appear in her carefully created facade. Hunter develops a dangerous habit, and a dark secret from her past seeps out in the form of a disorder called pica — a condition that has her compulsively swallowing inedible, and oftentimes life-threatening, objects. A provocative and squirm-inducing psychological thriller, “Swallow” follows one woman’s unraveling as she struggles to reclaim independence in the face of an oppressive system by whatever means possible.
“The Banker” – Written by Niceole Levy, George Nolfi, David Lewis Smith, Stan Younger, and Brad Caleb Kane (Available on Apple TV+ March 20)
Inspired by true events, “The Banker” centers on revolutionary businessmen Bernard Garrett (Anthony Mackie) and Joe Morris (Samuel L. Jackson), who devise an audacious and risky plan to take on the racist establishment of the 1960s by helping other African Americans pursue the American dream. Along with Garrett’s wife Eunice (Nia Long), they train a working class white man, Matt Steiner (Nicholas Hoult), to pose as the rich and privileged face of their burgeoning real estate and banking empire.
March 9
“Tokyo Godfathers” (Theatrical Re-Release) – Written by Keiko Nobumoto and Satoshi Kon (Select Cities March 9 and 11 Only)
In modern-day Tokyo, three homeless people’s lives are changed forever when they discover a baby girl at a garbage dump on Christmas Eve. As the New Year fast approaches, these three forgotten members of society band together to solve the mystery of the abandoned child and the fate of her parents. Along the way, encounters with seemingly unrelated events and people force them to confront their own haunted pasts, as they learn to face their future, together.
March 13
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” – Written and Directed by Eliza Hittman
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always”
“Never Rarely Sometimes Always” is an intimate portrayal of two teenage girls in rural Pennsylvania. Faced with an unintended pregnancy and a lack of local support, Autumn (Sidney Flanigan) and her cousin Skylar (Talia Ryder) embark across state lines to New York City on a fraught journey of friendship, bravery, and compassion.
“Misbehaviour” – Directed by Philippa Lowthorpe; Written by Rebecca Frayn and Gaby Chiappe (Opens in the UK)
“Misbehaviour”
Starring Keira Knightley and Gugu Mbatha-Raw, “Misbehaviour” is a dramedy about the 1970 Miss World beauty pageant, which was disrupted by the Women’s Liberation Movement, and made history when it crowned the first black Miss World, Jennifer Hosten.
“The Roads Not Taken” – Written and Directed by Sally Potter
“The Roads Not Taken”
Sally Potter’s “The Roads Not Taken” follows a day in the life of Leo (Javier Bardem) and his daughter, Molly (Elle Fanning), as she grapples with the challenges of her father’s chaotic mind. As they weave their way through New York City, Leo’s journey takes on a hallucinatory quality as he floats through alternate lives he could have lived, leading Molly to wrestle with her own path as she considers her future.
“Lost Girls” – Directed by Liz Garbus (Also Available on Netflix)
“Lost Girls”
When 24-year-old Shannan Gilbert mysteriously disappears one night, her mother Mari (Amy Ryan) embarks on a dark journey that finds her face to face with hard truths about her daughter, herself, and police bias. Determined to find her daughter at all costs, Mari retraces Shannan’s last known steps, driving her own investigation to an insular gated community near the desolate outer banks of Long Island. Her discoveries force law enforcement and the media to uncover more than a dozen unsolved murders of sex workers, young lives Mari will not let the world forget.
“Stargirl” – Directed by Julia Hart; Written by Julia Hart, Kristin Hahn, and Jordan Horowitz (Available on Disney+)
“Stargirl”
Leo Borlock (Graham Verchere) is an average student at Mica High School. He gets decent grades, is a member of the school’s marching band, and has always been content flying under the radar. But all that changes when he meets Stargirl Caraway (Grace VanderWaal), a confident and colorful new student with a penchant for the ukulele, who stands out in a crowd.
“Ride Like a Girl” – Directed by Rachel Griffiths; Written by Elise McCredie and Andrew Knight (Also Available on VOD)
“Ride Like a Girl”
In this true story, Michelle Payne (Teresa Palmer) dreams of the impossible: winning the Melbourne Cup, horse-racing’s toughest two-mile race. After a series of early failures she finds her feet – but a family tragedy, followed by a near fatal horse fall, all but ends the dream. But with the love of her dad (Sam Neill) and her brother (Stevie Payne), Michelle will not give up. Against all the medical advice, and the protests of her siblings, she rides on, and meets the Prince of Penzanc. Together, they overcome impossible odds for a shot at the dream: a ride in the 2015 Melbourne Cup.
“The Dog Doc” (Documentary) – Directed by Cindy Meehl (Opens in NY; Opens March 20 in LA)
A founding father of integrative veterinary medicine, Dr. Marty Goldstein and his colleagues in South Salem, NY have created a mecca for holistic care, offering hope to scores of previously hopeless animals — and their owners. “The Dog Doc” poses a serious question about whether we are over-medicating our pets, our children, and ourselves, while offering an immersive view into a seldom seen world to paint a complete picture of the dedication and joy of being a veterinarian.
“Justine” – Written and Directed by Stephanie Turner (Available on Netflix)
“Justine”
“Justine” chronicles the turbulent time of grief for Lisa Wade (Stephanie Turner), a wife and mother of two whose happiness is tragically disrupted when her military husband is killed. Consumed with mourning as every aspect of her life falls apart, Lisa’s challenging relationships with her devastated father-in-law (Glynn Turman) and the feisty eight-year-old Justine (Daisy Prescott), whom she cares for as a nanny, provide the motivation she needs to begin an uphill journey back to herself.
“Lost Transmissions” – Written and Directed by Katharine O’Brien (Also Available on VOD)
“Lost Transmissions”
When an acclaimed music producer (Simon Pegg) goes off his medication for schizophrenia, his friends chase him though the LA music scene to help commit him to a psychiatric hospital, revealing the troubling inadequacies of our mental health care system.
“Human Nature” (Documentary) – Written by Regina Sobel and Adam Bolt
A breakthrough called CRISPR opens the door to curing diseases, reshaping the biosphere, and designing our own children. “Human Nature” is a provocative exploration of its far-reaching implications, through the eyes of the scientists who discovered it.
“M.O.M. Mothers of Monsters” – Written and Directed by Tucia Lyman (Opens in LA)
A distraught mother (Melinda Page Hamilton) suspects her teenage son (Bailey Edwards) is plotting a school shooting, but when he slips through the cracks of the system, she is forced to take matters into her own hands. After installing an elaborate spy camera system in their home, Abbey captures a series of disturbing videos that confirm her worst fears. Torn between a mother’s unconditional love and a mother’s acute intuition, Abbey caters her videos to all the other “mothers of monsters” online. Abbey’s plan backfires when Jacob uses a dark family secret against her, launching both mother and son on a terrifying, and ultimately deadly, game of cat and mouse.
“The Hunt”
“The Hunt”: Universal
Twelve strangers wake up in a clearing. They don’t know where they are, or how they got there. They don’t know they’ve been chosen for a very specific purpose — The Hunt. In the shadow of a dark internet conspiracy theory, a group of globalist elites gathers for the very first time at a remote Manor House to hunt humans for sport. But the elites’ master plan is about to be derailed because one of the hunted, Crystal (Betty Gilpin, “GLOW”), knows The Hunters’ game better than they do. She turns the tables on the killers, picking them off, one by one, as she makes her way toward the mysterious woman (Hilary Swank) at the center of it all.
“The Postcard Killings” – Written by Liza Marklund and Andrew Stern
New York detective Jacob Kanon’s (Jeffery Dean Morgan) world is destroyed when his daughter and son-in-law are brutally murdered in London. Unable to sit idly by and do nothing, Jacob travels to London to get the answers he needs. As he learns of similar heinous murders happening across Europe — each preceded by a postcard sent to a local journalist — Jacob is in a race against time to stop the killings and find justice for his little girl.
March 18
“PJ Harvey: A Dog Called Money” (Documentary)
“PJ Harvey: A Dog Called Money” follows writer and musician PJ Harvey and award-winning photographer Seamus Murphy on a journey through the creative process behind Harvey’s new album, conceived by their travels around the globe.
March 20
“Blow the Man Down” – Written and Directed by Danielle Krudy and Bridget Savage Cole (Available on Amazon Prime)
“Blow The Man Down”
Grieving the loss of their mother and facing an uncertain future, Mary Beth (Morgan Saylor) and Priscilla Connolly (Sophie Lowe) cover up a gruesome run-in with a dangerous man. To conceal their crime, the sisters must go deeper into the underbelly of Easter Cove, a fishing village on the far reaches of Maine’s rocky coast, to uncover the town matriarchs’ darkest secrets.
“Bull” – Directed by Annie Silverstein; Written by Annie Silverstein and Johnny McAllister (Also Available on VOD)
“Bull”
In a near-abandoned subdivision west of Houston, a wayward teen (Amber Havard) runs headlong into her equally willful and unforgiving neighbor (Rob Morgan), an aging bullfighter who’s seen his best days in the arena. It’s a collision that will change them both.
“Radioactive” – Directed by Marjane Satrapi (Opens in the UK)
“Radioactive”
“Radioactive” is the incredible, true story of Marie Curie, the first female scientist to win a Nobel Prize, and her ground-breaking scientific achievements. In Paris, 1893, Marie (Rosamund Pike) meets fellow scientist Pierre Curie (Sam Riley). The pair go on to marry, raise two daughters, and change the face of science forever with the discovery of radium in 1903.
“The Truth”
Fabienne (Catherine Deneuve) is an aging French movie star who, despite her momentary lapses in memory, remains a venerable force to be reckoned with. Upon the publication of her memoirs, her daughter Lumir (Juliette Binoche) returns to Paris from New York with her husband (Ethan Hawke) and their young daughter to commemorate its release.
“Hooking Up” – Written by Lauren Schacher and Nico Raineau
Bailey (Sam Richardson) and Darla (Brittany Snow) embark upon a misguided and mutually deceitful form of therapy, one in which they must drive across the country re-enacting Darla’s colorful history as a sex addict. As their true motivations for the road trip come to light, the unlikely pair force one another to confront their issues, discovering that there might actually be more to love than just sex.
“The Grizzlies” – Directed by Miranda de Pencier; Written by Moira Walley-Beckett and Graham Yost
In a small Arctic town struggling with the highest suicide rate in North America, a group of Inuit students’ lives are transformed when they are introduced to the sport of lacrosse.
March 25
“Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” (Documentary) – Directed by Nicole Newnham and James Lebrecht (Available on Netflix)
Down the road from Woodstock, a revolution blossomed in a ramshackle summer camp for teenagers with disabilities, transforming their lives and igniting a landmark movement. “Crip Camp: A Disability Revolution” is an untold story from Nicole Newnham and film mixer and former camper Jim LeBrecht.
March 27
“Mulan” – Directed by Niki Caro; Written by Lauren Hynek, Elizabeth Martin, Amanda Silver, and Rick Jaffa
“Mulan”
When the Emperor of China issues a decree that one man per family must serve in the Imperial Army to defend the country from Northern invaders, Hua Mulan (Yifei Liu), the eldest daughter of an honored warrior, steps in to take the place of her ailing father. Masquerading as a man, Hua Jun, she is tested every step of the way and must harness her inner-strength and embrace her true potential.
“There’s Something in the Water” (Documentary) – Directed by Ellen Page and Ian Daniel (Available on Netflix)
“There’s Something in the Water”
Ellen Page and Ian Daniel engage in deeply personal and political dialogue with women at the forefront of some of Nova Scotia’s most urgent environmental crises. Based on the book of the same name by Ingrid Waldron, “There’s Something in the Water” explores the topic of environmental racism, poignantly shining a light on the Canadian government’s current and historical decisions to prioritize the profits of large corporations over the health of indigenous and black communities.
“Military Wives” – Written by Rachel Tunnard and Rosanne Flynn
“Military Wives” centers on a group of women from different backgrounds whose partners are away serving in Afghanistan. Faced with their loved ones’ absences, they come together to form the very first military wives choir, helping each other through some of life’s most difficult moments — and quickly find themselves on an international stage.
“Banana Split” – Written by Hannah Marks and Joey Power
April (Hannah Marks) has spent the last two years of high school in a relationship with Nick (Dylan Sprouse), from first frantic make-out session to final tear-stained breakup. In the aimless summer between graduation and college, the newly single April mends her heartbreak by striking up an unexpected friendship with an unlikely candidate: Nick’s new girlfriend, Clara (Liana Liberato).
