Fans of films and trendy hashtags will be aware of Women in Film’s #52FilmsByWomen, an online pledge you can take right now that is open to anyone looking to raise the profile of women in the director’s chair. All you have to do is sit in your own chair and watch 52 films made by women – all before 2016 ends.
The stupendous Kate Rodger, TV entertainment reporter for Newshub, helped me out this March by recommending the first of the four films listed below.
Newshub Film Critic Kate Rodger Recommends…
#9 Rain | written and directed by Christine Jeffs
“The more films like Rain that I see, the more wonder I see in the art of cinematic storytelling. I remember my first big screen viewing of this haunting and gently visceral debut from NZ filmmaker Christine Jeffs, and it still feels like yesterday. She took Kirsty Gunn’s novel and delivered it almost as a lovingly woven collection of memories, sepia snapshots even, so my recollection of the film even now is punctuated with quite intense emotional triggers.
“I’ve been too afraid to revisit it since becoming a mother, lord knows how that extra layer will leave me feeling! It’s a wonderful piece of cinema, feminine, masculine, confronting, awakening. A must see.” – Kate Rodger
‘Rain’ DVD and On Demand options
#10 The Wolfpack | directed by Crystal Moselle
A film that somehow blends Room together with Be Kind, Rewind? That’s one messed-up cinema salsa. The real kicker? It’s a documentary.
Crystal Moselle scored an award at the Sundance film festival with The Wolfpack, a too-weird-to-be-true look at the lives of a set of brothers confined to their grotty New York apartment. They talk directly to Moselle about the difficulty of their living conditions, their affection for their mother, their disdain for their father, and their absolute love for movies – which they regularly “Swede” to pass the time. There isn’t much of a story that unfolds here (which is how some documentaries can sway), which would be problematic for a two-hour feature. Fortunately, The Wolfpack runs briskly under 90 minutes.
Read our interview with director Crystal Moselle
‘The Wolfpack’ DVD and On Demand options
#11 Clueless | written and directed by Amy Heckerling
If Shakespeare was a self-aware sorority girl, she would have written Clueless. (Yeah, I just compared Amy Heckerling to Shakespeare, and I’ll etch that statement on the urn that holds my dead ashes.) From insults that reference Monet to deconstructions of black slang that diffuse the appearance of misogynistic undertones, this film is both loquacious and ludicrous in all the right ways. It’s a finely-tuned script about privileged rich kids thinking they know shit, only to realise that they don’t know shit, all the while navigating the tornado of teenage bullshit. It’s stupendous.
Even the thick coat of ’90s-ness can’t stop the fact that Clueless hasn’t aged. Just like Paul Rudd’s seemingly immortal face. (How many virgins has that guy sacrificed to the holy volcano of youth?)
‘Clueless’ DVD and On Demand options
#12 In a World… | written and directed by Lake Bell
As one of the only American actors who doesn’t suck at a British accent (see: Man Up), it’s no surprise that Lake Bell would write, direct and star in an indie comedy about a vocal coach looking to make the big time. And for such audio artists, ‘big time’ equates to ‘movie trailer narrator’. But it’s a title her character’s father holds up like a dickish deity who firmly believes that only men are capable of such an achievement.
It would have been pretty easy for Bell to fudge the premise with corny feminist feel-good schmaltz (like the tagline Let Your Voice Be Heard would imply), but Bell’s script deepens the characters with personal flaws and dodgy agendas in a way that keeps its message firmly grounded – as opposed to flying away like a shallow bumper sticker. It’s also a constant chuckle machine with Bell on top comedic form alongside the likes of Demetri Martin (Taking Woodstock), Rob Corddry (Hot Tub Time Machine), and the stupendous tones of Fred Melamed (A Serious Man).
‘In a World…’ DVD and On Demand options
Movies By Women Coming to AU Cinemas in March:
The Will to Fly by Katie Bender & Leo Baker
Kung Fu Panda 3 by Jennifer Yuh & Alessandro Carloni
Sherpa by Jennifer Peedom
