By Lauren LaMagna
Happy Female Filmmaker Friday everyone! Within the last few years, there has been an immense social shift in Hollywood regarding female directors. Today, we now see major studios hiring female directors and including that aspect as a major part of their marketing strategy, especially this past awards season with “Hustlers,” “The Farewell,” “Honey Boy,” and “Little Women,” for example. It’s safe to say that Hollywood is making positive strides in this gender battle. But what about the films directed by women before this cultural shift? There are female-directed films that were made long before 2019 that are equally as good as the ones that are being made today. But for some reason, no one saw them due to a lack of support or a lack of promotion. They either got lost in the streaming universe or were in and out of theaters too quickly. So, in no particular order, here are ten female-directed films everyone should see. Note: Every film on this list currently has a view rating of 20,000 or less on Letterboxd. 10. Miss You Already (2015)
Directed by Catherine Hardwicke
Before she was terrifying us in “Hereditary,” and before she was eating people in “Santa Clarita Diet,” Toni Collette and Drew Barrymore were best friends in Catherine Hardwicke’s “Miss You Already.” The two play life-long best friends whose relationship is challenged when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. The film, which made its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival, is funny, emotional, and heartfelt. Both Barrymore and Collette play their parts well with chemistry that bounces off the walls. With the storyline, the film can be dramatic and even cheesy at times, but at its core, it’s real, authentic, and made with love that’s poignant from the first to last shot. Let’s be honest, it’s still a rarity to see a film centered around female friendship, which makes “Miss You Already” a rare gem that deserves to be seen. 9. Professor Marston And The Wonder Women (2017)
Directed by Angela Robinson
Did you know that the inventor of the lie-detector also created “Wonder Woman” with his wife and their girlfriend in the 1930s? (Polyamory rights!) Well, not many did, but leave it to writer/director Angela Robinson to take this concept and make it an honest, genuine, and pure love story. Anyone could make a film about polyamory that either turns people on or off, but Robinson does the impossible: She introduces us to our leads and allows their love story to grow, so by the time they are a couple, it seems only natural. The fact that "Professor Marston & The Wonder Women" is intelligent, thought-provoking, romantic, and emotionally engaging while paying respect to the real individuals in the relationship, just proves how one in a million Robinson truly is. 8. Nancy (2018)
Directed by Christina Choe
People either love or hate “Nancy,” which is why I think it’s so special. The Sundance film follows a young woman (Andrea Riseborough) who notices that she somewhat resembles a young girl who was kidnaped. She contacts the missing girl’s parents (Steve Buscemi and Ann Dowd) in an attempt to reunite. Like “Wendy and Lucy,” Christina Choe, in her directorial debut, successfully tells a real and raw story about loneliness. It’s specific yet layered with ambiguity, and eerie but also somber. At the end of the day, everyone needs human connection, which is what all three of these characters have been living without for so long. So what happens when they all conjugate in the same space? Will they remember how to bond with one another? For those who love a slow burn character study on loneliness, with three very different characters, “Nancy” is your film.
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