FILMS ABOUT WOMEN OPENING
Slut in a Good Way – Directed by Sophie Lorain; Written by Catherine Léger
One tipsy evening, Charlotte (Marguerite Bouchard), the recently heartbroken, Megan (Romane Denis), the anti-love anarchist, and Aube (Rose Adam), the shy romantic, stumble into the Toy Depot. Charmed by the male employees, the girls fill out a job application and quickly become part of the Toy Depot gang. Charlotte has found the guys to be particularly helpful in getting over her heartbreak, to say the least. But has she taken it too far? The film explores teenage girls’ desires, the blurred lines between sex and friendship, and the unfair double standard imposed upon girls. It is a story of desire, self-censorship, and self-assertion.
A Vigilante – Written and Directed by Sarah Daggar-Nickson (Also Available on VOD)
“A Vigilante”
If you missed Olivia Wilde’s underappreciated turn as a mother grieving the absence of her missing son in Reed Morano’s 2015 directorial debut, “Meadowland,” prepare to be blown away by her performance in “A Vigilante,” another debut feature from a female filmmaker. Sarah Daggar-Nickson’s drama sees her playing Sadie, a once-abused woman who has devoted her life to helping other domestic abuse victims. Rather than offering a shoulder to cry on or a referral to a therapist, Sadie is ending their abusers’ reign of terror. She’s not killing the perpetrators, who are both men and women, but she’s violent enough to convince them that it’s in their best interest to get out of town and cease contact with those they’ve abused. Meanwhile, she’s searching for clues on her hunt to track down — and kill — her own abusive ex. (Laura Berger)
Diane (Also Available on VOD)
“Diane”
For Diane (Mary Kay Place), everyone else comes first. Generous but with little patience for self-pity, she spends her days checking in on sick friends, volunteering at her local soup kitchen, and trying valiantly to save her troubled, drug-addicted adult son (Jake Lacy) from himself. But beneath her relentless routine of self-sacrifice, Diane is fighting a desperate internal battle, haunted by a past she can’t forget and which threatens to tear her increasingly chaotic world apart.
In Reality – Directed by Ann Lupo; Written by Ann Lupo, Esteban Pedraza, and Aaron Pryka (Opens in LA) (Available on VOD April 2)
“In Reality”: It Just Got Real
Despite boasting rich friendships and a creative job, young filmmaker Ann (Ann Lupo) is consumed by the fantasy of finding true love. Just when she thinks she’s found it, she is friend-zoned and the disappointment of rejection shoots her down a deep rabbit hole of unrequited love. Looking for a way to climb out, Ann picks up a camera and sets her sights inward. She confronts multiple characters within her conscious, from a maniacal game show host to a glamorous cabaret performer, that guide her through her investigation of the relationship and her own neuroses. Blending docu-style interview with comedy, drama, and hyperbolic fantasies, Ann creates an elaborate, eccentric world that manages to be as intensely relatable as it is one of a kind.
Find screening info here.
The Chaperone (Opens in NY; Opens April 5 in LA)
Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson), the 1920s silver screen sensation who never met a rule she didn’t break, epitomized the restless, reckless spirit of the Jazz Age. But, just a few years earlier, she was a 15-year-old student in Wichita, Kansas, for whom fame and fortune were only dreams. When the opportunity arises for her to go to New York to study with a leading dance troupe, her mother insists there be a chaperone. Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern), a local society matron who never broke a rule in her life, impulsively volunteers to accompany Louise to New York for the summer. Why does this utterly conventional woman do this? What happens to her when she lands in Manhattan with an unusually rebellious teenager as her ward? And, which of the two women is stronger, the uptight wife-and-mother or the irrepressible free spirit? It’s a story full of surprises — about who these women really are, and who they eventually become.
FILMS MADE BY WOMEN OPENING
The Brink (Documentary) – Directed by Alison Klayman
When Steve Bannon left his position as White House chief strategist less than a week after the Charlottesville “Unite the Right” rally in August 2017, he was already a notorious figure in Trump’s inner circle, and for bringing a far-right ideology into the highest echelons of American politics. Unconstrained by an official post — though some say he still has a direct line to the White House — he became free to peddle influence as a perceived kingmaker, turning his controversial brand of nationalism into a global movement. “The Brink” follows Bannon through the 2018 midterm elections in the United States, shedding light on his efforts to mobilize and unify far-right parties in order to win seats in the May 2019 European Parliamentary elections. To maintain his power and influence, the former Goldman Sachs banker and media investor reinvents himself — as he has many times before — this time as the self-appointed leader of a global populist movement. Keen manipulator of the press and gifted self-promoter, Bannon continues to draw headlines and protests wherever he goes, feeding the powerful myth on which his survival relies.
Find screening info here.
The Field Guide to Evil (Anthology) – Directed by Katrin Gebbe, Agnieszka Smoczynska, Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, Can Evrenol, Ashim Ahluwalia, Calvin Reeder, Peter Strickland, and Yannis Veslemes; Written by Silvia Wolkan, Katrin Gebbe, Veronika Franz, Severin Fiala, Can Evrenol, Elif Domanic, Robert Bolesto, Calvin Reeder, Peter Strickland, and Yannis Veslemes (Also Available on VOD)
This anthology of short films features cinematic renderings of folk tales from eight countries. Nine filmmakers collaborate to provide a global outlook on the dark side of human nature by drawing from the storytelling traditions of Hungary, Austria, India, Poland, Greece, Turkey, Germany, and the United States of America.
Find screening info here.
TV PREMIERES
“Traitors”
Traitors – Created and Written by Bash Doran (Premieres March 29 on Netflix)
Bash Doran’s new drama centers on Feef Symonds (Emma Appleton), a posh, politically conservative spy-in-training whose dreams of adventure — and affair with a married American agent — are shot when peace is declared. But things haven’t really gone back to normal: Communism is on the rise and the Labour Party has just taken control of Parliament. It’s not long before Feef is recruited by another American, Rowe (Michael Stuhlbarg), to spy on her own government. As its title emphasizes, all of the “Traitors” characters are betraying something: their country, their ideals, their loved ones. They do a lot of terrible things for the “right” reasons. The series is painted in shades of gray and the more Feef and Co. try to maintain some semblance of morality, the more addictive “Traitors” becomes. (Rachel Montpelier)
Hanna (Premieres March 29 on Amazon Prime)
“Hanna”
Raised in total seclusion in the remote woods of Eastern Europe, 15-year-old Hanna (Esmé Creed-Miles) has spent her entire young life training to fight those who hunt her and her mercenary father, Erik Heller (Joel Kinnaman). Her survivalist skills are finally tested when she and Erik are separated upon their discovery by a rogue CIA operative, Marissa Wiegler (Mireille Enos), and her team of agents.
Great Performances: Julius Caesar (Theater Special) – Directed by Phyllida Lloyd (Premieres March 29 on PBS)
“Julius Caesar”
Set in a women’s prison, “Great Performances: Julius Caesar” offers a powerful dramatization of the catastrophic consequences of a political leader’s extension of power beyond constitutional confines through an all-female lens. In this acclaimed Donmar Warehouse production directed by Phyllida Lloyd (“The Iron Lady,” “Mamma Mia!”), Shakespeare’s famous discourse on power, loyalty, and tragic idealism is heightened against the backdrop of female incarceration. Harriet Walter and Jackie Clune star as Brutus and Caesar, respectively.
Osmosis – Created by Audrey Fouché (Premieres March 29 on Netflix)
In near future Paris, a dating app matches singles with their soulmates by mining their brain data, but decoding true love comes at a price.
Mrs. Wilson (Miniseries) – Written by Anna Symon, Alison Wilson, and Tim Cook (Premieres March 31 on PBS)
“Mrs. Wilson”
Set in 1940s and 1960s London and 1930s India, the series follows Alison Wilson (Ruth Wilson), who thinks she is happily married until her husband, Alec (Iain Glen), dies and a woman turns up on the doorstep claiming that she is the real Mrs. Wilson. Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage — and Alec’s love for her — but is instead led into a world of disturbing secrets.
The Taste of Daisies (Premieres March 31 on Netflix)
In this new Spanish crime thriller, a Civil Guard officer investigates the case of a missing teen girl from a small Galician community, only to discover that the disappearance may be linked to her own past. (Popsugar)
In the Dark – Created by Corinne Kingsbury (Premieres April 4 on The CW)
“In the Dark”: Ben Mark Holzberg/The CW
A flawed and irreverent blind woman (Perry Mattfeld) is the only “witness” to the murder of her drug-dealing friend. After the police dismiss her story, she sets out with her dog, Pretzel, to find the killer while also managing her colorful dating life and the job she hates at the guide dog school owned by her overprotective parents.
VOD/STREAMING RELEASES
“Bumblebee”
Afghan Cycles (Documentary) – Directed by Sarah Menzies (VOD, Available Now)
Breaking the Limits – Written by Agatha Dominik and Maciej Karpinski (VOD, March 31)
Bumblebee – Written by Christina Hodson (VOD, April 2)
Flay (VOD, April 2)
A Silent Voice – Directed by Naoko Yamada; Written by Reiko Yoshida (VOD, April 2)
Sobibor – Written by Anna Tchernakova, Michael Edelstein, Ilya Vasiliev (VOD, April 2)
PICKS OF THE WEEK FROM WOMEN AND HOLLYWOOD
Moreno in “One Day at a Time”
Actress Mirirai Sithole Talks About Her New Play & Why She Considers Inclusive Projects the Norm
Rita Moreno to Be Honored with Peabody Career Achievement Award
Sydney Film Festival to Highlight Women Directors
“Killing Eve” Dominates BAFTA TV Nominations
Submit Now: Diversity in Cannes Short Film Showcase
Cannes 2019: “Capernaum” Director Nadine Labaki Named President of Un Certain Regard
Quote of the Day: Amy Poehler On Why We Need More Stories About Women in Their 40s and 50s
Jessie Nelson On Her New Off-Broadway Show “Alice By Heart” and Advice from Nora Ephron
Writer to Watch: “Insecure” Scribe Amy Aniobi
“Women, War & Peace’s” Abigail Disney On Funding Women Filmmakers and Redefining War
Note: All descriptions are from press materials, unless otherwise noted.
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