Where one might expect a heavy slate of mom-centric films in honor of Mother’s Day, this month’s releases buck expectations, relying primarily on darker, sometimes more unsettling, themes — with a few uplifting rock-and-roll documentaries and light-hearted comedies added for good measure.
May kicks off with the VOD release of “All My Puny Sorrows” (May 3), a story of two tight-knit sisters (Sarah Gadon and Allison Pill) who are struggling to heal after one of them attempts suicide. Directed by Mei Makino, “Inbetween Girl,” a coming-of-age romantic comedy about a biracial teen whose newfound sexual freedom serves as a fine distraction from her parents’ divorce, also gets a VOD release that day.
“Happening” (May 6), directed by Audrey Diwan and adapted from Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel, tells the now all-too-realistic tale of a young woman racing against the clock to access a safe, but illegal, abortion. The drama picked up Venice Film Festival’s top honor. Also out on May 6, Theresa Rebeck’s “Glimpse” is a thriller about corporate espionage. Meanwhile, “In Front of Your Face” follows a former actress who finds herself back home with her sister in Seoul, and trying to keep secrets about her meeting with a film director.
Two Netflix comedies, “Senior Year” (May 13) and “A Perfect Pairing” (May 19), will surely lighten the mood. The former sees Rebel Wilson playing a woman who wakes up from a 20-year coma with the goal of becoming Prom Queen. The latter stars Victoria Justice as a sales exec who quits her high-powered job in hopes of selling her own wine.
Ninja Thyberg’s “Pleasure” (May 13) is a portrait of an aspiring porn star dreaming of fame at any cost. Out May 20, Brea Grant’s “Torn Hearts” is another cautionary tale about stardom. The genre pic follows two rising country musicians who visit a legendary performer with the hopes of convincing her to collaborate. Their visit to her secluded home escalates into a violent game of cat and mouse. For music fans looking for a more inspirational story, there’s Bobbi Jo Hart’s May 27 release “Fanny: The Right to Rock,” a doc about the first all-women band to release an LP with a major record label.
Here are the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films debuting in May. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
May 3
“All My Puny Sorrows” (Available on VOD)
“All My Puny Sorrows”: AMPS Productions Inc.
Based on the international best-selling novel by Miriam Toews, “All My Puny Sorrows” unexpectedly infuses wry humor into this heart-wrenching story of two loving sisters: one a gifted pianist (Sarah Gadon) obsessed with ending her life, the other a struggling writer (Alison Pill) who, in wrestling with this decision, makes profound discoveries about herself.
“Inbetween Girl” – Written and Directed by Mei Makino (Available on VOD)
A modern, smart, and subversive rewrite of the classic teen rom-com, ”Inbetween Girl” centers on Galveston teen artist Angie Chen (Emma Galbraith), who turns to secret hook-ups with Liam (William Magnuson), the heartthrob of her private school, after her parents’ sudden divorce. Capturing the trials and tribulations of modern teenage life, “Inbetween Girl” finds its heroine’s existence in the liminal spaces between private and public life with Liam, childhood and adulthood, and her mixed white and Chinese heritage. Throwing another wrench into Angie’s troubles is the fact that her Chinese father starts to date a Chinese woman with the “perfect” archetypal Asian American daughter, someone that Angie feels like she can never be.
“Box of Rain” (Documentary) – Directed by Lonnie Frazier (Available on VOD)
In 1985, Lonnie’s life was spiraling out of control. Through a twist of fate she found healing in an unexpected place: the Deadhead community. It all started with a road trip and free tickets to see the Grateful Dead at Red Rocks in Colorado. This film is an exploration of the Deadhead family, past and present, and the qualities that make it unique. We follow Lonnie as she reconnects with the women she traveled with in her youth, and makes new friends along the way. Through wide ranging interviews, she seeks to dispel the common stereotypes about Deadheads and document the beauty of the community. We learn how the Grateful Dead touched the lives of so many people, the healing they found through the music, and the memories they cherish most. Twenty-five years after the road trip that started it all, Lonnie returns to Red Rocks in her quest to complete this film. On this journey, she discovers healing, and the power to write her own story.
“Hold Your Breath: The Ice Dive” (Documentary) (Available on Netflix)
Follow free diver Johanna Nordblad as she attempts to break the world record for distance traveled under ice with one breath.
May 6
“Happening” – Directed by Audrey Diwan; Written by Audrey Diwan and Marcia Romano (In Theaters)
“Happening”: Wild Bunch
Adapted from Annie Ernaux’s semi-autobiographical novel, “Happening” follows Anne (Anamaria Vartolomei), a bright young student with a promising future ahead of her in France during 1963. But when she falls pregnant, she sees the opportunity to finish her studies and escape the constraints of her social background disappearing. With her final exams fast approaching and her belly growing, Anne resolves to act, even if she has to confront shame and pain, even if she must risk prison to do so.
“Glimpse” – Written and Directed by Theresa Rebeck (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
The ensemble thriller explores a sinister world where corporate espionage reaches into the homes and minds of its employees. Panic rises as lives are compromised and controlled by a ruthless oligarch who manipulates reality with unsettling pleasure. What is the price of loyalty? What is the price of freedom?
“In Front of Your Face” (In Theaters)
“In Front of Your Face”: Cinema Guild
After years living abroad, former actress Sangok (Lee Hyeyoung) is back in Seoul, staying with her sister Jeongok (Cho Yunhee) in her high-rise apartment. The siblings sleep late, have breakfast in a cafe, and visit a restaurant owned by Jeongok’s son. But as the details of Sangok’s day accrue — a spill on her blouse, an encounter at her childhood home — it becomes clear that there is much she is not revealing. And these mysterious circumstances have something to do with her decision to meet with film director Jaewon (Kwon Haehyo) to discuss her return to acting.
“Lux AEterna” (In Theaters; Available on VOD May 30)
French cinema icons Charlotte Gainsbourg and Béatrice Dalle , playing themselves, star as the lead actress and the director of an experimental film about witches. But as preparations for the shoot get underway, the increasingly chaotic production slowly unravels as egos and bitter resentments rise to the surface, threatening to derail the entire enterprise.
“The Twin” (In Theaters and Available on VOD and Shudder)
In “The Twin,” following the aftermath of a tragic accident that claimed the life of one of their twins, Rachel (Teresa Palmer) and husband Anthony (Steven Cree) relocate to the other side of the world with their surviving son in the hopes of building a new life. What begins as a time of healing in the quiet Scandinavian countryside soon takes an ominous turn when Rachel begins to unravel the torturous truth about her son and confronts the malicious forces attempting to take hold of him.
“Operation Mincemeat” – Written by Michelle Ashford (In Theaters; Available on Netflix May 11)
It’s 1943. The Allies are determined to break Hitler’s grip on occupied Europe, and plan to launch an all-out assault on Sicily, but they face an impossible challenge –how to protect the invasion force from potential annihilation. It falls to two remarkable intelligence officers, Ewen Montagu (Colin Firth) and Charles Cholmondeley (Matthew Macfadyen) to dream the most inspired and improbable disinformation strategy of the war — centered on the most unlikely of secret agents: a dead man. “Operation Mincemeat” is the extraordinary and true story of an idea that hoped to turn the tide for the Allies – taking impossibly high risks, defying logic, and testing the nerves of its creators to breaking point.
“The Ravine” – Written by Kelly Pascuzzi, Robert Pascuzzi, and Keoni Waxman (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
In “The Ravine,” when an unspeakable crime rocks a peaceful community, family and friends are left to wonder if they overlooked the murderer among them or if there might be more to the story. Inspired by true events, this haunting thriller stars Eric Dane, Teri Polo, Peter Facinelli, and Leslie Uggams.
May 10
“Faye” – Directed by Kd Amond; Written by Kd Amond and Sarah Zanotti (Available on VOD)
Still grieving the loss of her husband, self-help author Faye (Sarah Zanotti) retreats to a cabin in Louisiana to gather her thoughts and work on her book. But her trip becomes harrowing when she is haunted by something far more sinister than her past.
May 11
“Our Father” (Documentary) – Directed by Lucie Jourdan (Available on Netflix)
Jacoba Ballard was an only child, conceived via donor sperm, who always dreamed of having a brother or sister. An at-home DNA test led her to the discovery of not one but seven half-siblings – a number that defied best practices in fertility medicine. As the group set out to learn more about their curious family tree, they soon discovered the sickening truth: Their parents’ fertility doctor had been inseminating his patients with his own sperm – without their knowledge or consent. As Ballard and her newfound siblings realize they’ve barely begun to untangle his dark web of deceit, their pursuit of justice lies at the heart of this profoundly unsettling story about an unimaginable breach of trust.
May 13
“Pleasure” – Directed by Ninja Thyberg; Written by Ninja Thyberg and Peter Modestij (In Theaters)
“Pleasure”
“Pleasure” is a journey into the Los Angeles porn industry through the lens of newcomer Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel). Strong, self-confident, and determined, Bella embarks on a mission to become the best at any cost.
“Kamikaze Hearts” (Restoration) – Directed by Juliet Bashore (In Theaters)
Alternately distressing, instructive, contestable, and fascinating, Juliet Bashore’s quasi-documentary plunge into the 1980s porn industry takes an unsparing look at issues of misogyny, drug abuse, and exploitation via the story of two women – the naive newcomer Tigr and her partner, the magnetic, imperious porn veteran Sharon Mitchell – caught in a toxic romance. By turns mesmerizing and unsettling, “Kamikaze Hearts” is both a fascinating record of the pre-gentrification of San Francisco’s X-rated underground and an intense, searing love story. The film offers a disturbing glimpse of the modification of bodies, feelings, and lives.
“Senior Year” (Available on Netflix)
A cheerleading stunt gone wrong lands a high school senior (Rebel Wilson) in a 20-year coma. Now she’s 37, newly awake, and ready to live out her high school dream: becoming prom queen.
“Monstrous” – Written by Carol Chrest (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
“Monstrous”: Screen Media
A terrifying new horror awaits Laura (Christina Ricci) and her seven-year-old son Cody (Santino Barnard) when they flee her abusive ex-husband and try to settle into a new life in an idyllic and remote lakeside farmhouse. Still traumatized, their physical and mental well-being are pushed to the limit as their fragile existence is threatened.
“Il Buco” – Written by Giovanna Giuliani and Michelangelo Frammartino (In Theaters)
Michelangelo Frammartino recreates the 1961 discovery of Italy’s Bifurto Abyss – Europe’s deepest cave. A team of intrepid speleologists rappel into the earth, using crude helmet lanterns and flaming torches to light their path. Casting real speleologists, Frammartino meticulously details the exploration of this seemingly fathomless cave of startling wonder and beauty, himself spending hours inside, using cameras with extended fiber optic cables.
May 19
“A Perfect Pairing” – Written by Elizabeth Hackett and Hilary Galanoy (Available on Netflix)
When Lola (Victoria Justice), a hard-driving LA wine company sales exec, quits her job in hopes of starting her own wine distribution company, she eagerly books herself a plane ticket to rural Australia to chase her first potential client, Vaughn Family Wines. Unfortunately for Lola, the Vaughn Family is not interested in doing business with a fledgling company. Eager to prove herself, Lola volunteers to fill a vacant position on the Vaughn sheep farm as a farmhand. At first, Lola doesn’t seem cut out for the tough work of mending fences and wrangling sheep, but she and the dashing station manager Max (Adam Demos) strike up a friendship as he trains her. And, as they open up to one another, Lola discovers that Australia has introduced her to much more than just a love for entrepreneurship with a newfound love for Max. But will Max’s secrets prevent Lola from reaping what she romantically sows?
May 20
“Fire in the Mountains” (In Theaters)
“Fire in the Mountains”: Courtesy of Sundance Institute
In northern India, a breathtakingly beautiful Himalayan community attracts tourists by combining South Asian and Swiss Alps aesthetics. One local woman (Vinamrata Rai) competes with her neighbors for business while battling the strictures of patriarchy, a local infrastructure from hell, and religious superstitions. She saves money, uses feminine wiles to subvert the corrupt powers-that-be, and piggy-backs her son up and down the mountainside to medical appointments with condescending doctors. In the end, our heroine’s tightly-wound grit must find release — in triumph, or madness, or both.
“Men” (In Theaters)
“Men”
In the aftermath of a personal tragedy, Harper (Jessie Buckley) retreats alone to the beautiful English countryside, hoping to have found a place to heal. But someone or something from the surrounding woods appears to be stalking her. What begins as simmering dread becomes a fully-formed nightmare, inhabited by her darkest memories and fears in a feverish, shape-shifting new horror film.
“Torn Hearts” – Directed by Brea Grant; Written by Rachel Koller Croft (Available on VOD)
The cautionary tale of a rise to stardom set in the iconic Nashville Country Music scene. Two friends (Abby Quinn and Alexxis Lemire), rising artists on the brink of a big break, will do just about anything to realize their dream – including a pilgrimage to the legendary and reclusive Harper Dutch’s (Katey Sagal) mansion in the hopes she’ll record a song with them. While their life-long idol seems intent to help, the visit devolves into a twisted series of mental and physical torment as the pair discover Harper – and each other – may have other motives. With no other choice and desperate to record a song, the duo must go to dangerous lengths to prove their dedication to their dream of becoming Nashville’s next country music stars.
“Emergency “– Written by KD Davila (In Theaters; Available on Prime Video May 27)
Kunle (Donald Elise Watkins) and his best friend, Sean (RJ Cyler), are both seniors in college about to embark on an epic night of Spring Break parties. They return to their apartment to pre-game, yet find that their roommate, Carlos (Sebastian Chacon), left the door open. As they enter with trepidation, Sean and Kunle discover a drunk, semi-conscious white woman they don’t know on the floor and an oblivious Carlos, who didn’t hear her come in over the videogame blaring in his ears. Kunle wants to call the cops but Sean vehemently opposes the idea, concerned how it will look when the cops show up: two Black men, one Latino man, and a passed out white woman. Together, Carlos, Sean, and Kunle load the girl — whom they nickname Goldilocks, but whose real name is Emma (Maddie Nichols) — into Sean’s van, with the intention of taking her somewhere safe rather than calling the police. Meanwhile, Emma’s sister, Maddy (Sabrina Carpenter), begins to search for her in a drunk panic, using Emma’s phone’s location. What ensues is a chaotic, hilarious, and tension-filled chase all over town as our trio grapples with their differences while attempting to bring Emma to safety.
May 24
“Since I Been Down” (Documentary) – Directed by Gilda Sheppard (Available on VOD)
“Since I Been Down”: Gilda Sheppard
“Since I Been Down” details the lives of inmates who were incarcerated as children as part of Washington State’s “Three Strike” law, and were granted a lifetime in prison with no chance of parole. Director Gilda Sheppard established a powerful connection with the Department of Corrections, who allowed her to film inside the prison and explore the importance of education in the prison system. The film has inspired key pushes toward legislation in Washington State, but with the “Three Strikes” law still in place there is still a long road ahead.
May 27
“Fanny: The Right to Rock” (Documentary) – Directed by Bobbi Jo Hart (In Theaters)
“Fanny: The Right to Rock”: Hot Docs
Sometime in the 1960s, in sunny Sacramento, two Filipina-American sisters got together with other teenage girls to play music. Little did they know their garage band would evolve into the legendary rock group Fanny, the first all-women band to release an LP with a major record label (Warner/Reprise, 1970). Despite releasing five critically-acclaimed albums over five years, touring with famed bands, and amassing a dedicated fan base of music legends including David Bowie, Fanny’s groundbreaking impact in music was written out of history — until the bandmates reunite 50 years later with a new rock record deal. Fighting early barriers of race, gender, and sexuality in the music industry, and now ageism, the incredible women of Fanny are ready to claim their hallowed place in the halls of rock ‘n’ roll fame.
“A Chiara” (In Theaters)
“A Chiara”: mk2 Films
The Guerrasio family and friends gather to celebrate Claudio and Carmela’s (Claudio Rotolo and Carmela Fumo) oldest daughter’s 18th birthday. There is a healthy rivalry between the birthday girl and her 15-year-old sister Chiara (Swamy Rotolo) as they compete on the dance floor. It is a happy occasion, and the close-knit family are in top form. However, everything changes the next day when the father disappears. Chiara, unconvinced by the cover story, starts to investigate. As she gets closer to the truth, she is forced to decide what kind of future she wants for herself.
