Picks of the Week offers Women and Hollywood’s top recommendations — women-driven and women-made movies, series, VOD releases, and more — and tells you why they are worth your time and money.
The Assistant – Written and Directed by Kitty Green
There are many shitty jobs in this world, but assistant to a high-powered Hollywood player has got to be one of the worst — because those jobs are not always about actual work.
Now I know assistants all across the globe pick up dry cleaning and schedule doctor’s appointments. However, in Kitty Green’s first narrative feature, “The Assistant,” the dour titular character (Julia Garner) shuttles a young woman new to the city up to a hotel for a meeting with her boss, whom we never see. After a few short months, the assistant realizes she has the shittiest of shitty jobs and figures out that something horrible is going on. So she does what she can and goes to HR, but everyone she works with is involved in a full blown cover-up. Their complicity is worn on their sleeves.
We all know this movie is about Harvey Weinstein, the women he terrorized, and the people who protected him. With his trial happening right now, “The Assistant” is not only extremely prescient, it feels like an urgent call to arms. (Melissa Silverstein)
Read Women and Hollywood’s interview with Kitty Green.
“The Assistant” is now screening at Sundance. It opens in NY and LA January 31. Find screening info here.
Miss Americana (Documentary) – Directed by Lana Wilson
“Miss Americana”: Sundance Institute
I don’t really know much about Taylor Swift; I’m not in the right age bracket. Yet I came out of Lana Wilson’s Swift doc “Miss Americana” with an appreciation for this young woman. We get to see her writing songs, traveling, and singing for hordes of adoring fans, but the crux of the film is her transformation from “good girl” to an openly political person. The key to her shift is being sexually harassed and groped, and the lawsuit she brought against the perpetrator. Following that trial she starts to reckon with her power as a role model and begins to figure out how to use her following to help influence the 2018 election in her home state of Tennessee. There is a price to be paid for speaking out, but she decides it’s worth it to be true to herself.
A quick sidebar: At Sundance, I found out that, in advance of “Miss Americana” hitting Netflix this Friday, there has been a surge in people watching Wilson’s first movie, “After Tiller,” which she directed with Martha Shane. That doc is about the lack of late-term abortion providers. Thanks in part to “Miss Americana,” a bunch of young women and girls — and hopefully guys — have now learned about an issue that could be vital to their lives. (MS)
“Miss Americana” is now screening at Sundance. It hits select theaters and Netflix January 31.
Beanpole
“Beanpole”
First-time actresses Viktoria Miroshnichenko and Vasilisa Perelygina lead the audience into a perfect storm of friendship, guilt, obligation, jealousy, and love in “Beanpole.” The Russian film, which took home the FIPRESCI Prize at last year’s Cannes, is about the wounds created by war — as well as the ones we inflict on ourselves. As such, this post-WWII drama packs quite a punch.
Iya (Miroshnichenko), nicknamed “Beanpole” due to her tall stature, suffers a personal tragedy shortly before her best friend, Masha (Perelygina), returns from her stint in the army. No spoilers, but suffice to say Iya’s hardships directly affect Masha too. Masha doesn’t blame Iya for their circumstances — or does she? — but rather decides her friend owes her. What follows almost feels like a horror movie. We see the heroines become entangled in something awful, but we are powerless to stop it. So are they.
At its core, “Beanpole” is a portrait of a very specific, yet very recognizable, friendship. Iya and Masha served together during the war, work at a hospital together, share an apartment, and trust one another over everyone else; their connection is strong, deep, and nuanced. They’re codependant and shamelessly put each other in horrible positions — because they know, without a doubt, that they’ll be forgiven. It’s tempting to describe Iya and Masha’s relationship as toxic — it certainly has its moments. But, really, their friendship is what comes of knowing the best and worst of someone, and accepting them anyway. Even when it’s hard to watch, it’s beautiful. (Rachel Montpelier)
“Beanpole” is now playing in NY. Find screening info here.
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