May 2019 promises to be an exciting month for new releases by and about women. From star-studded comedies to intimate documentaries, women’s stories are flooding theaters this month.
Olivia Wilde makes her feature directorial debut with “Booksmart” (May 24), the story of two high-achieving best friends who plan a wild night of fun before leaving for college. A star-making vehicle for its young stars Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever, “Booksmart” boasts an entirely female writing team. Amy Poehler will also be making her first foray into feature directing with Netflix’s “Wine Country” (May 8), made by and with SNL’s best: Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey penned the script, and Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Tina Fey, Rachel Dratch, Paula Pell, and Spivey star.
Influential women thinkers and leaders are also getting their due in several documentaries this month. Rachel Lears’ Sundance standout “Knock Down the House” (May 1) follows the congressional campaigns of four women who, as political underdogs, challenge powerful incumbents. At the film’s center is the inspiring journey of Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Additionally, America’s leading sex therapist Dr. Ruth takes center stage in “Ask Dr. Ruth” (May 3), which explores her difficult early years, unprecedented career, and revolutionary influence.
Several of Hollywood’s most iconic veteran actresses are also showing off their comedic chops this month in star-studded comedies. Charlize Theron stars in “Long Shot” (May 3) as Secretary of State and presidential candidate Charlotte Field, one of the world’s most powerful women. In “The Hustle” (May 10), a remake of 1988’s “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels,” Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as scam artists out to get revenge on the men who have wronged them. In Zara Hayes’ “Poms” (May 10), legends Diane Keaton, Jacki Weaver, Pam Grier, and Rhea Perlman star as women who form a cheerleading squad at their retirement community.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films premiering this May. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
May 1
“Knock Down the House” (Documentary) – Directed by Rachel Lears (Also Available on Netflix)
“Knock Down the House”
A young bartender in the Bronx, a coal miner’s daughter in West Virginia, a grieving mother in Nevada, and a registered nurse in Missouri build a movement of insurgent candidates to challenge powerful incumbents in Congress. One of their races will become the most shocking political upset in recent American history.
May 3
“Tell It to the Bees” – Directed by Annabel Jankel; Written by Henrietta Ashworth and Jessica Ashworth (Also Available on VOD)
“Tell It to the Bees”
Dr. Jean Markham (Anna Paquin) returns to the town she left as a teenager to take over her late father’s medical practice. When a schoolyard scuffle lands Charlie (Gregor Selkirk) in her surgery, she invites him to visit the hives in her garden and tell his secrets to the bees, as she once did. The new friendship between the boy and the bee keeper brings his mother, Lydia (Holliday Grainger), into Jean’s world. In the sanctuary of the doctor’s house, the two women find themselves drawn to one another in a way that Jean recognizes and fears and Lydia could never have expected. But in 1950s small-town Britain, their new secret can’t stay hidden forever.
“Ask Dr. Ruth” (Documentary)
“Ask Dr. Ruth”
“Ask Dr. Ruth” chronicles the incredible life of Dr. Ruth Westheimer, a Holocaust survivor who became America’s most famous sex therapist. With her diminutive frame, thick German accent, and uninhibited approach to sex therapy and education, Dr. Ruth transformed the conversation around sexuality. As she approaches her 90th birthday and shows no signs of slowing down, Dr. Ruth revisits her painful past and unlikely path to a career at the forefront of the sexual revolution.
“Long Shot” – Written by Liz Hannah and Dan Sterling
“Long Shot”
Fred Flarsky (Seth Rogen) is a gifted and free-spirited journalist with an affinity for trouble. Charlotte Field (Charlize Theron) is one of the most influential women in the world. Smart, sophisticated, and accomplished, she’s a powerhouse diplomat with a talent for — well, mostly everything. The two have nothing in common, except that she was his babysitter and childhood crush. When Fred unexpectedly reconnects with Charlotte, he charms her with his self-deprecating humor and his memories of her youthful idealism. As she prepares to make a run for the Presidency, Charlotte impulsively hires Fred as her speechwriter, much to the dismay of her trusted advisors. A fish out of water on Charlotte’s elite team, Fred is unprepared for her glamorous lifestyle in the limelight. However, sparks fly as their unmistakable chemistry leads to an around-the-world romance and a series of unexpected and dangerous incidents.
“A Pesar De Todo” – Directed by Gabriela Tagliavini; Written by Gabriela Tagliavini, Helena Rhee, and Eugene B. Rhee (Available on Netflix)
“A Pesar De Todo”
Sara, Lucía, Sofía, and Claudia are sisters, four modern women with very different personalities, who come together at their mother’s funeral, after which they discover the man they’ve all called “Dad” throughout their lives is not really their father. They embark on a quest to discover who their real fathers are, discovering more about themselves, their mother, and their lives.
“Bardo Blues” – Directed by Marcia Kimpton; Written by Marcia Kimpton and Anthony Taylor (Also Available on VOD)
Set in Thailand, “Bardo Blues” follows Jack as he struggles to learn the truth about the mother that abandoned him and his own reason for existing. Weaving spiritual awakenings and soulful struggles, “Bardo Blues” will leave you questioning everything you think you know about who you are, where you came from and where you are going.
“UglyDolls” – Written by Alison Peck, Erica Rivinoja, and Vivian Wang
In the adorably different town of Uglyville, weird is celebrated, strange is special, and beauty is embraced as more than simply meets the eye. Here, the free-spirited Moxy (Kelly Clarkson) and her UglyDoll friends live every day in a whirlwind of bliss, letting their freak flags fly in a celebration of life and its endless possibilities. In this all-new story, the UglyDolls will go on a journey beyond the comfortable borders of Uglyville. There, they will confront what it means to be different, struggle with their desire to be loved, and ultimately discover that you don’t have to be perfect to be amazing, because who you truly are is what matters most.
May 8
“Wine Country” – Directed by Amy Poehler; Written by Liz Cackowski and Emily Spivey (Available on Netflix May 10)
“Wine Country”
In honor of Rebecca’s (Rachel Dratch) 50th birthday, Abby (Amy Poehler) plans a scenic Napa getaway with their best, longtime friends. Workaholic Catherine (Ana Gasteyer), post-op Val (Paula Pell), homebody Jenny (Emily Spivey), and weary mom Naomi (Maya Rudolph) are equally sold on the chance to relax and reconnect. Yet as the alcohol flows, real world uncertainties intrude on the punchlines and gossip, and the women begin questioning their friendships and futures.
“The Silence of Others” (Documentary) – Directed by Almudena Carracedo and Robert Bahar; Written by Almudena Carracedo, Kim Roberts, Robert Bahar, and Ricardo Acosta (Opens in NY)
“The Silence of Others”: Almudena Carracedo
What if in the ‘60s you were sadistically tortured for your political beliefs and the man responsible — Antonio González Pacheco, aka “Billy the Kid” — is now your neighbor? The bloody Spanish Civil War (1936-39) was followed by the Franco dictatorship that ended only with his death in 1975 — after which a law granted amnesty for crimes committed throughout this period. “The Silence of Others” tackles the legal/political questions that this enforced obliviousness has created, and equally compelling, the existential conundrum of living in a nation in which no one has been charged with the murder of hundreds of thousands, buried in more than 2,000 mass graves.
May 10
“Poms” – Directed by Zara Hayes
“Poms”
“Poms” is an uplifting comedy about Martha (Diane Keaton), a woman who moves into a retirement community and starts a cheerleading squad with her fellow residents, Sheryl (Jacki Weaver), Olive (Pam Grier), and Alice (Rhea Perlman), proving that it’s never too late to follow your dreams.
“Charlie Says” – Directed by Mary Harron; Written by Guinevere Turner (Available on VOD May 17)
Years after the shocking murders that made the name Charles Manson synonymous with pure evil, the three women who killed for him — Leslie Van Houten (Hannah Murray), Patricia Krenwinkel (Sosie Bacon), and Susan Atkins (Marianne Rendón) — remain under the spell of the infamous cult leader (Matt Smith). Confined to an isolated cellblock in a California penitentiary, the trio seem destined to live out the rest of their lives under the delusion that their crimes were part of a cosmic plan until empathetic graduate student Karlene Faith (Merritt Wever) is enlisted to rehabilitate them. Convinced the prisoners are not the inhumane monsters the world believes them to be, Karlene begins the arduous process of breaking down the psychological barriers erected by Manson. But are the women ready to confront the horror of what they did?
“The Hustle” – Written by Jac Schaeffer, Dale Launer, Stanley Shapiro, and Paul Henning
“The Hustle”
Anne Hathaway and Rebel Wilson star as female scam artists, one low-rent and the other high-class, who team up to take down the dirty rotten men who have wronged them.
May 15
“The Third Wife” – Written and Directed by Ash Mayfair (Opens in NY)
“The Third Wife”
In 19th-century rural Vietnam, 14-year-old May becomes the third wife of wealthy landowner Hung. Soon, she learns that she can only gain status by asserting herself as a woman who can give birth to a male child. May’s hope to change her status turns into a real and tantalizing possibility when she gets pregnant. Faced with forbidden love and its devastating consequences, May finally comes to an understanding of the brutal truth: the options available to her are few and far between.
May 17
“The Sun Is Also a Star” – Directed by Ry Russo-Young; Written by Tracy Oliver
“The Sun Is Also a Star”
College-bound romantic Daniel Bae (Charles Melton) and Jamaica-born pragmatist Natasha Kingsley (Yara Shahidi) meet — and fall for each other — over one magical day amidst the fervor and flurry of New York City. Sparks immediately fly between these two strangers, who might never have met had fate not given them a little push. But will fate be enough to take these teens from star-crossed to lucky in love? With just hours left on the clock in what looks to be her last day in the U.S., Natasha is fighting against her family’s deportation as fiercely as she’s fighting her budding feelings for Daniel, who is working just as hard to convince her they are destined to be together. A modern-day story about finding love against all odds, “The Sun Is Also a Star” explores whether our lives are determined by fate or the random events of the universe.
“The Souvenir” – Written and Directed by Joanna Hogg
“The Souvenir”
A shy film student (Honor Swinton-Byrne) begins finding her voice as an artist while navigating a turbulent courtship with a charismatic but untrustworthy man (Tom Burke). She defies her protective mother (Tilda Swinton) and concerned friends as she slips deeper and deeper into an intense, emotionally fraught relationship which comes dangerously close to destroying her dreams.
“Ask for Jane” – Written and Directed by Rachel Carey
Chicago, 1969. Imagine a world where abortion is punishable by prison, and getting birth control is nearly impossible. As a result, women die every day from taking matters into their own hands. When a pregnant student at the University of Chicago attempts to take her own life, Rose (Cait Cortelyou) and Janice (Cody Horn) find a doctor willing to perform the procedure in secret to save the woman. Sparked by this experience, Rose and Janice form the Jane Collective: a secret organization to help other women obtain safe and illegal abortions. Operating like a spy network, complete with blindfolds and code names, the Janes help thousands of women — but they can’t hide from the police forever. Based on a true story, this group of determined Midwestern women inspired an entire generation to take control of their bodies and their activism resonates through to today.
“Aniara” – Written and Directed by Pella Kågerman and Hugo Lilja
“Aniara”
“Aniara” is the story of one of the many spaceships used for transporting Earth’s fleeing population to their new home: planet Mars. But just as the ship leaves the destroyed Earth, she collides with space junk and is thrown off her course. The passengers slowly realize that they’ll never be able to return. The protagonist, MR, runs a room where a sentient computer allows humans to experience near-spiritual memories of Earth. As the ship drifts further into the endless void, more and more passengers are in need of MR’s services. Pressure builds on MR as she is the only one who can keep the growing insanity and lethal depression at bay. In Aniara’s inexorable journey towards destruction there is a warning that cannot be emphasized enough: There’s only one Earth. It’s time to take responsibility for our actions.
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle” – Directed by Stacie Passon (Also Available on VOD)
“We Have Always Lived in the Castle”
Merricat (Taissa Farmiga) lives with her sister Constance (Alexandra Daddario) and her Uncle Julian (Crispin Glover). The trio are survivors of an arsenic poisoning that killed everyone else in the family five years prior. Merricat is bold and imaginative and protects the property with “spells.” Despite being hated by the townspeople, the sisters live an idyllic life, until cousin Charles (Sebastian Stan) arrives. Charles offers to help around the house and inquires about the family’s finances. Constance is charmed by Charles, and Merricat resents his intrusion. As Charles and Merricat battle for control, tragedy threatens to strike again.
“The Wandering Soap Opera” – Directed by Valeria Sarmiento and Raúl Ruiz; Written by Pía Rey and Raúl Ruiz (Opens in NY)
Filmed by Raúl Ruiz in 1990 but left unfinished until it was completed by his wife and collaborator Valeria Sarmiento in 2017, “The Wandering Soap Opera” is a dreamily interconnected series of vignettes that spoof on telenovela conventions while reflecting Ruiz’s feelings upon returning to his native Chile after more than 15 years away. In one episode, a man seduces a woman by showing her his muscles, which are actually slabs of raw meat slapped into her hand. Later, the man has a gun pulled on him when he accuses a poet of plagiarism. Meanwhile, through the television screen, five women have lost their husbands after an earthquake and embrace a better future together. All along, back and forth across screens, people are watching. “The Wandering Soap Opera” is a glorious sendup of the telenovela, which, at the end of Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship, Ruiz called the very best lens through which to understand “Chilean reality.”
“A Dog’s Journey” – Directed by Gail Mancuso; Written by Maya Forbes, Cathryn Michon, W. Bruce Cameron, and Wallace Wolodarsky
“A Dog’s Journey”
Bailey (Josh Gad) is living the good life on the Michigan farm of his “boy,” Ethan (Dennis Quaid) and Ethan’s wife Hannah (Marg Helgenberger). He even has a new playmate: Ethan and Hannah’s baby granddaughter, CJ. The problem is that CJ’s mom, Gloria (Betty Gilpin), decides to take CJ away. As Bailey’s soul prepares to leave this life for a new one, he makes a promise to Ethan to find CJ and protect her at any cost. Thus begins Bailey’s adventure through multiple lives filled with love, friendship, and devotion as he, CJ (Kathryn Prescott), and CJ’s best friend Trent (Henry Lau) experience joy and heartbreak, music and laughter, and few really good belly rubs.
May 24
“Booksmart” – Directed by Olivia Wilde; Written by Sarah Haskins, Susanna Fogel, Katie Silberman, and Emily Halpern
“Booksmart”
“Booksmart” follows Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), two academic superstars and best friends who, on the eve of their high school graduation, suddenly realize that they should have worked less and played more. Determined never to fall short of their peers, the girls set out on a mission to cram four years of fun into one night.
“The Spy Behind Home Plate” (Documentary) – Written and Directed by Aviva Kempner (Opens in Washington, D.C.)
In this first ever feature-length documentary about the enigmatic Morris “Moe” Berg, award-winning filmmaker Aviva Kempner again focuses her camera on a little-known Jewish hero. From the streets of Newark to five major league teams during baseball’s Golden Age to his secret life spying for the OSS during WWII, Berg’s improbable story is told with rare historical footage and revealing interviews with family and an All-Star roster from the worlds of history, sports, and spycraft.
“The Perfection” – Written by Nicole Snyder, Richard Shepard, and Eric C. Charmelo (Available on Netflix)
“The Perfection”
When troubled musical prodigy Charlotte (Allison Williams) seeks out Elizabeth (Logan Browning), the new star pupil of her former school, the encounter sends both musicians down a sinister path with shocking consequences.
“Barbara Rubin & The Exploding NY Underground” (Documentary) (Opens in NY; Opens in LA June 14)
In the 1960s, Dylan, Ginsberg, Warhol, and other mostly male icons inspired an entire generation of musicians, poets, filmmakers, and artists — but who inspired them? Through the story of Barbara Rubin’s life, this film redefines and restores the role that a few creative women played in NYC’s influential avant garde. From her beginnings working with Jonas Mekas and the Filmmaker’s Cooperative to her tragic death at the age of 35, Barbara Rubin was a creative catalyst for some of the 1960s’ most influential happenings and ideas.
“The Proposal” (Documentary) – Directed by Jill Magid (Opens in NY)
Known as “the artist among architects,” Luis Barragán is among the world’s most celebrated architects of the 20th century. Upon his death in 1988, much of his work was locked away in a Swiss bunker, hidden from the world’s view. In an attempt to resurrect Barragán’s life and art, boundary redefining artist Jill Magid creates a daring proposition that becomes a fascinating artwork in itself — a high-wire act of negotiation that explores how far an artist will go to democratize access to art.
May 31
“Always Be My Maybe” – Directed by Nahnatchka Khan; Written by Ali Wong, Randall Park, and Michael Golamco (Also Available on Netflix)
Childhood sweethearts have a falling out and don’t speak for 15 years. They reconnect as adults when Sasha (Ali Wong), now a celebrity chef opening a restaurant in San Francisco, runs into Marcus (Randall Park), a happily struggling musician still living at home and working for his dad.
“Freedom Fields” (Documentary) – Directed by Naziha Arebi (Opens in the UK)
“Freedom Fields”
Emboldened by the Arab Spring, the Libyan women’s soccer team is dreaming of playing their first international game. However, their sport faces huge opposition in Libya; so when news of a possible cap is released, media attention ends up playing in the hands of those who want to thwart their ambitions.
“Ma”
Oscar-winner Octavia Spencer stars as Sue Ann, a loner who keeps to herself in her quiet Ohio town. One day, she is asked by Maggie (Diana Silvers), a new teenager in town, to buy some booze for her and her friends, and Sue Ann sees the chance to make some unsuspecting, if younger, friends of her own. She offers the kids the chance to avoid drinking and driving by hanging out in the basement of her home. But there are some house rules: One of the kids has to stay sober. Don’t curse. Never go upstairs. And call her “Ma.” But as Ma’s hospitality starts to curdle into obsession, what began as a teenage dream turns into a terrorizing nightmare, and Ma’s place goes from the best place in town to the worst place on earth.
“Mouthpiece” – Directed by Patricia Rozema; Written by Patricia Rozema, Amy Nostbakken, and Norah Sadava
“Mouthpiece”
“Mouthpiece” is a powerful, amusing, and highly original look into the conflicted psyche of Cassandra Haywood, a fiercely independent millennial woman. Cass is a single writer who lives by her own rules. She’s also a bit of a disaster. Following the sudden death of her mother (Maev Beaty), she finds herself in crisis, unable to think straight with a debate raging inside her head. This movie makes that invisible conflict visible: Cassandra (Amy Nostbakken and Norah Sadava) battles it out while figuring out what to say at her mother’s funeral. What unfolds is a wild careening through grief, anger, hypocrisy, sex, and self-sabotage in an exploration of the messy contemporary lives of women from both generations. Raucous jokes, musical numbers, and heartbreaking memories add up to a deeply moving and political portrait of a mother and a daughter as seen through the eyes of one conflicted young woman.
“Too Late to Die Young” – Written and Directed by Dominga Sotomayor Castillo
“Too Late to Die Young”
Democracy comes back to Chile during the summer of 1990. In an isolated community, Sofía, 16, Lucas, 16, and Clara, 10, face their first loves and fears, while preparing for New Year’s Eve. They may live far from the dangers of the city, but not from those of nature.
