Films About Women Opening This Week
Gemma Bovery — Co-Written and Directed by Anne Fontaine
Life begins to imitate art in uncanny ways when earthy British beauty Gemma (Gemma Arterton) and her furniture-restorer husband Charles Bovery (Jason Flemyng) move to the very same Norman village where the graphic novel was written. Local baker and Flaubert fan Martin Joubert (Fabrice Luchini) falls for the lovely and charming newcomer and sets out to be her mentor. It doesn’t take long before his wild imagination leads him to draw parallels between the literary and real-life woman, as he insinuates himself into her life. She soon finds herself at a crossroads that seems to be fulfilling Joubert’s worst fears that her destiny is mirroring that of Flaubert’s doomed heroine. Director Anne Fontaine’s clever adaptation of the graphic novel is at once a cheeky literary mash-up, a sensuous romance, a witty feminist commentary and a heady celebration of French provincial life. (Press materials)
I Believe in Unicorns — Written and Directed by Leah Meyerhoff
Davina (Natalia Dyer) is an imaginative and strong-willed teenage girl who often escapes into a beautifully twisted fantasy life. Having grown up quickly as the sole caretaker of her disabled mother (the filmmaker’s own mother, Toni Meyerhoff), she looks for salvation with an older boy (Peter Vack). Davina is swept into a whirlwind of romance and adventure, but the enchantment of her new relationship quickly fades when Sterling’s volatile side begins to emerge. “I Believe in Unicorns” takes us on a road trip through the stunning and complex landscape of troubled young love. (Press materials)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with “I Believe in Unicorns” director Leah Meyerhoff and listen to our podcast with Meyerhoff.
Hot Girls Wanted (doc) (available only on Netflix) — Directed by Jill Bauer and Ronna Gradus
In the past decade, the proliferation of the Internet has brought significant shifts in the way porn is produced and consumed. Today, for many teenage girls, porn carries fewer taboos than it did for their parents’ generation. The filmmakers follow one such girl, eager to leave small-town life in search of freedom and fame. With the click of a mouse, she transforms from A-student to fledgling amateur actress. She initially feels independent and popular starring in professionally produced videos — uploaded on sites garnering an average of 41 million hits a month. But as she and some of her new friends fall deeper into the darker corners of the Internet, and as new faces arrive daily, they’re forced to reconsider an increasingly dubious line of work. As porn viewership dwarfs other entertainment and seeps deeper into our public and private lives, “Hot Girls Wanted” is essential viewing. (Press materials)
Survivor (also available on VOD)
After being mysteriously framed for a terrorist bombing, a Foreign Service Officer must evade government capture and death by a ruthless assassin in order to stop the real perpetrators’ master — and much deadlier — plan. Mila Jovovich and Emma Thompson star. (Press materials)
Barely Lethal (also available on VOD)
Megan Walsh (Hailee Steinfeld) is a teenage special ops agent who yearns for a normal adolescence. After faking her own death, she assumes the role of an exchange student and quickly learns that surviving the treacherous waters of a typical American high school can be even more difficult than international espionage. (Press materials)
You’re Sleeping, Nicole (Tu Dors Nicole)
Making the most of the family home while her parents are away, Nicole (Julianne Côté), 22-years-old, is enjoying a peaceful summer with her best friend Véronique (Catherine St-Laurent). When Nicole’s older brother shows up with his band to record an album, the girls’ friendship is put to the test. Their vacation takes an unexpected turn, punctuated by a heatwave, Nicole’s growing insomnia and the persistent courtship of a 10-year-old boy. (Press materials)
Heaven Knows What
A young heroin addict (Arielle Holmes) roams the streets of New York to panhandle and get her fix, while her unstable boyfriend (Caleb Landry Jones) drifts in and out of her life at random. Based on the soon-to-be-released novel by Arielle Holmes. (Press materials)
Films About Women Currently Playing
Aloft — Directed and Written by Claudia Llosa
Tomorrowland
When Marnie Was There
The Mama Sherpas (doc) — Directed by Brigid Maher
I’ll See You In My Dreams
Pitch Perfect 2 — Directed by Elizabeth Banks; Written by Kay Cannon
Every Secret Thing — Directed by Amy Berg; Written by Nicole Holofcener
In the Name of My Daughter
Hot Pursuit — Directed by Anne Fletcher
Piku — Written by Juhi Chaturvedi
Preggoland — Written by Sonja Bennett (Available on VOD)
Sister Code
Welcome to Me — Directed by Shira Piven
Marie’s Story
The Age of Adaline
Félix & Meira
Clouds of Sils Maria
Woman in Gold
The Divergent Series: Insurgent
It Follows
Films Directed by Women Opening This Week
Berkshire County — Directed by Audrey Cummings
A late-night knock at the door signals the arrival of three psychotics in pig masks. An insecure teenage girl (Alysa King) must go beyond what she ever thought capable of herself in order to survive Halloween night. (Press materials)
Films Directed by Women Currently Playing
Something Better to Come (doc) — Directed by Hanna Polak
Seeds of Time (doc) — Directed by Sandy McLeod
The Farewell Party (Mita Tova) — Co-Directed and Co-Written by Sharon Maymon
(Dis)Honesty: The Truth About Lies (doc) — Directed by Yael Melamede
Sunshine Superman (doc) — Directed by Marah Strauch
Dark Star: H.R. Giger’s World (doc) — Directed and Written by Belinda Sallin
One Cut, One Life (doc) — Co-Directed by Lucia Small
Films Written by Women Currently Playing
The Connection — Co-Written by Audrey Diwan
She’s Funny That Way (Squirrels to the Nuts) — Co-Written by Louise Stratten
Adult Beginners — Co-Written by Liz Flahive
White God — Co-Written by Viktória Petrányi and Kata Wéber
VOD/DVD Releasing This Week
Barely Lethal (VOD)
Jupiter Ascending — Co-Directed and Co-Written by Lana Wachowski (DVD)
McFarland, USA — Directed by Niki Caro; Co-Written by Bettina Gilois (DVD)
Walking on Sunshine — Co-Written by Dania Pasquini
The DUFF (VOD only, DVD release June 9)
