By Kt Schaefer
It’s no secret that Hollywood doesn’t make as many films about women as it does men, or that the older a woman gets, the less they appear on the screen. Typically films about older women revolve around their status as mothers or wives and all too often it’s about their untimely or painful death. The recently released “Puzzle” is a great example of just how much value it can be to tell a different kind of story. It focuses its lens on Agnes, a woman who has spent her whole life putting others needs before her own. Now that her children are almost out of the house she finds herself with too much time on her hands. When she is gifted a puzzle on her birthday it starts her down a path of self-discovery that leads to her questioning everything that she knows about herself and whether or not the life she has led for decades is enough for her. It’s a beautiful film that is well acted, especially by the lead, Kelly Macdonald and it’s quiet but engrossing story is one that we do not see enough of in cinema. So for those hungry for more after viewing "Puzzle," here are 5 more films that focus on older women who learn that their lives can be so much more than they initially thought. The Good Girl (2002)
In direct contrast to “Puzzle," “The Good Girl” examines what happens when you try to stretch yourself outside of your self-imposed box and make all the wrong choices. Jennifer Aniston plays the main character Justine, a woman who feels trapped in her retail job and with her boorish husband. When a quiet young man starts at her job she becomes fascinated by him and the two begin to form a friendship that quickly unravels into a disturbing obsession on his part and before she knows it Justine finds herself with more problems than she can handle.
Although it’s billed as a dark comedy, “The Good Girl” is really more of a drama with faintly comedic overtones. It explores the difficulty of the boredom of everyday life, and how the desire to find more in life can lead to some darker paths. Fire (1996)
A controversial film on all sides of the spectrum in India, Deepa Mehta’s “Fire” was one of the first Indian films to openly discuss homosexuality and show a same-sex couple making love. The women at the center of the story are two sisters-in-law, Radha who is middle-aged, and the much younger Sita, whose husbands are mostly absent from their lives and leave the care of the house and their elderly mother to the women. Initially, they are only friends but as they discover more about each other they fall in love and must decide how to handle their forbidden relationship.
“Fire” is a poignant film that allows both Sita and Radha to come to the realization of their mutual attraction and eventual love in their own ways. Radha feels bound by the traditions of her family and culture, whereas the younger Sita accepts their feelings about each other much more readily. As we see the women learn to accept themselves in a world that they feel will never accept them, we learn how much that self-acceptance can cost. The Color Purple (1985)
Probably one of the darkest films on this list, “The Color Purple” is also one of the most powerful examples of how learning to value yourself can lead to a better life. A film that openly talks about abuse, racism, misogyny and the effects of a patriarchal society, “The Color Purple” was rightly an award nomination darling but ended up winning none of the 11 Oscars it was nominated for, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Whoopi Goldberg’s debut film performance. Goldberg’s character Celie goes through decades of physical and emotional torment before she is finally able to break free and make a life for herself, but when she does it is a truly joyful moment.
The Joy Luck Club (1993)
“The Joy Luck Club” is about 4 Chinese mothers and their American born daughters telling stories of their childhoods and their relationships with each other. Each of these women tells the viewer about a definitive moment in their lives and we see the effects that those events had on both the women themselves and their families. As the different pasts unfold the daughters begin to understand their mothers on a more fundamental basis and they all begin to see that they must let go of old hurts in order to lead more fulfilling lives. Although there are several different stories spread throughout “The Joy Luck Club," all of them discuss the importance of having a sense of self-worth and show how long the struggle can be to attain it.
Now, Voyager (1942)
A classic of the era’s melodramatic films and with one of Bette Davis’s best performances, “Now, Voyager” is a quintessential story of a woman finding herself. Charlotte Vale is an unloved spinster under her demanding and occasionally cruel mothers thumb. When she comes under the care of the psychiatrist Dr. Jaquim, she begins to reveal the real woman buried beneath the shy and neurotic shell she has put up around herself for so many years. This enables her to find not only self-determination but a romantic relationship and eventually stand up to her overbearing mother. By the end of the film, Charlotte has found purpose in her life and is able to appreciate what she has built for herself, even though it is by no means a fairy tale ending.
What do you think of the list? Have you seen any of these films? Have you seen "Puzzle" yet? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below. You can follow Kt and hear more of her thoughts on the Oscars and Film on Twitter at @kt_schaefer
Comments
|
BEST PICTURE Nomadland (31) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, CIC, DFWFCA, GG, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, KCFCC, LFCC, LVFCS, NDFS, NSFC, NTFCA, OFCS, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, TFCA, TIFF, VENICE, VFCC, WAFCA Promising Young Woman (9) - AACTA, COFCA, HCA, KCFCC, MCFCA, NFCS, OAFFC, SCA, SDFCS Minari (4) - NCFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, UFCA Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (3) - BFCC, CIC, PFCC Da 5 Bloods (2) - CIC, NBR First Cow (2) - FFCC, NYFCC The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (2) - DFCS, HFCS Another Round - EFA Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains - ICS Rocks - BIFA Small Axe - LAFCA The United States vs. Billie Holiday - AARP BEST DIRECTOR Chloé Zhao (41) - AACTA, AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BFCC, BSFC, CFCA, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, LVFCS, MSFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NTFCA, NYFCC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, TFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Spike Lee (3) - CIC, HFCS, NBR Regina King (2) - BFCC, UFCA Emerald Fennell - NFCS Darius Marder - SCA Steve McQueen - LFCC Andrew Patterson - GOTHAM Kelly Reichardt - ICS Aaron Sorkin - AARP Thomas Vinterberg - EFA Remi Weekes - BIFA BEST ACTRESS Frances McDormand (23) - AWFJ, BOFCA, CFCA, FFCC, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, IPA, LFCC, LVFCS, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, OFCC, OFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Carey Mulligan (19) - AACTA, AFCC, COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, HCA, HFCS, KCFCC, LAFCA, MCFCA, NBR, NFCS, NTFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, PFCS, SCA, SDFCS, StLFCA Viola Davis (3) - BFCC, CIC, PFCC Sidney Flanigan (2) - BSFC, NYFCC Maria Bakalova - IPA Paula Beer - EFA Nicole Beharie - GOTHAM Andra Day - GG Sophia Loren - AARP Rosamund Pike - GG Wunmi Mosaku - BIFA Isabel Sandoval - ICS BEST ACTOR Riz Ahmed (19) - AFCC, COFCA, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, LVFCS, NBR, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, SCA, SDFCS, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA Chadwick Boseman (18) - AACTA, AWFJ, BFCC, CFCA, CIC, DFCS, DFWFCA, GG, IFCA, LAFCA, LFCC, MSFCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Delroy Lindo (9) - BOFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFJA, NCFCA, NSFC, NYFCC, OFCS, PFCC Anthony Hopkins (5) - AARP, BIFA, BSFC, FFCC, NFCS Sacha Baron Cohen (2) - GG, IPA Mads Mikkelsen - EFA Aditya Modak - ICS Steven Yeun - NTFCA BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Youn Yuh-jung (25) - AWFJ, BFCC, BSFC, COFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, IFCA, KCFCC, LAFCA, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NTFCA, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, PFCS, SCA, SEFCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, VFCC, WAFCA Maria Bakalaova (15) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, CIC, FFCC, HFCS, IFJA, LFCC, MCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NYFCC, OFCS, TFCA, UFCA Amanda Seyfried (4) - DFWFCA, IPA, LVFCS, PFCC Ellen Burstyn (2) - DFCS, NYFCO Jodie Foster (2) - AARP, GG Kosar Ali - BIFA Sônia Braga - ICS Glenn Close - NFCS Olivia Colman - AACTA Olivia Cooke - HFCS BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Paul Raci (17) - AFCC, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, COFCA, FFCC, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, IFCA, NBR, NSFC, OFCC, SCA, SDFCS, SFBAFCC, StLFCA Daniel Kaluuya (9) - DFWFCA, GG, LVFCS, NFCS, OAFFC, PFCS, SFCS, TFCA, VFCC Leslie Odom Jr. (9) - AWFJ, BFCC, HFCS, IFJA, KCFCC, NYFCO, OFCS, UFCA, WAFCA Sacha Baron Cohen (7) - AACTA, DFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, NDFS, NTFCA, SEFCA Chadwick Boseman (4) - CIC, IPA, NYFCC, PFCC Francisco Barreiro - ICS Demián Bichir - AARP D’angelou Osei Kissiedu - BIFA Shaun Parkes - LFCC Glynn Turman - LAFCA BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Nomadland (14) - AWFJ, CFCA, COFCA, GWNYFCA, HFCS, IFJA, KCFCC, LFCC, NCFCA, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, SEFCA, WAFCA The Father (5) - BIFA, IPA, NFCS, SCA, SDFCS I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (5) - BOFCA, BSFC, FFCC, StLFCA, UFCA First Cow (4) - DFCS, ICS, PFCC, SFBAFCC One Night In Miami (3) - HCA, LVFCS, PFCS Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2) - BFCC, CIC News Of The World - NBR BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY Promising Young Woman (19) - AFCC, AWFJ, CIC, COFCA, DFWFCA, HCA, HFCS, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCC, OFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (10) - AACTA, AARP, CIC, DFCS, GG, HFCS, MCFCA, PFCS, UFCA, VFCC Minari (8) - BFCC, FFCC, NBR, NCFCA, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, TFCA Never, Rarely, Sometimes, Always (6) - CFCA, GWNYFCA, IFJA, NSFC, NYFCC, OAFFC Another Round - EFA Bacurau - ICS The Forty-Year-Old-Version - GOTHAM Fourteen - GOTHAM Judas And The Black Messiah - LVFCS BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY Nomadland (28) - AFCC, AWFJ, BOFCA, BSFC, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFWFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, LVFCS, MCFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NDFS, NSFC, NYFCO, OAFFC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SDFCS, SEFCA, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Mank (4) - FFCC, IPA, OFCC, SCA Tenet (4) - BFCC, HFCS, NFCS, NTFCA Small Axe (2) - LAFCA, NYFCC Dwelling In The Fuchun Mountains - ICS First Cow - SFBAFCC Hidden Away - EFA Saint Maud - BIFA The Vast Of Night - KCFCC BEST COSTUME DESIGN Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (5) - CIC, HFCS, LVFCS, PFCS, SFCS Emma. (2) - CFCA, SDFCS The Personal History Of David Copperfield (2) - HCA, IPA Hidden Away - EFA Misbehaviour - BIFA BEST FILM EDITING Nomadland (8) - AWFJ, BOFCA, GWNYFCA, NDFS, OFCS, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA The Trial Of The Chicago 7 (8) - CIC, COFCA, HCA, HFCS, IPA, MCFCA, PFCS, UFCA The Father (2) - BIFA, LAFCA I'm Thinking Of Ending Things (2) - BSFC, CFCA The Invisible Man (2) - MCFCA, SDFCS Once More Unto The Breach - EFA Sound Of Metal - LVFCS Tenet - WAFCA The Wasteland - ICS BEST MAKEUP & HAIRSTYLING Ma Rainey's Black Bottom (2) - CIC, HCA The Endless Trench - EFA Mank - HFCS Misbehaviour - BIFA BEST ORIGINAL SCORE Soul (24) - AFCC, BOFCA, CFCA, CIC, COFCA, DFCS, FFCC, GG, GWNYFCA, HCA, HFCS, HMMA, LAFCA, LVFCS, NCFCA, OFCC, OFCS, PFCS, SCL, SFBAFCC, SFCS, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Tenet (4) - HMMA, IFJA, MCFCA, SCA Mank (3) - DFWFCA, HFCS, NDFS David Attenborough: A Life On Our Planet (2) - HMMA, IFMCA Minari (2) - BSFC, HMMA Berlin Alexanderplatz - EFA Blizzard Of Souls - SCL The Call Of The Wild - IFMCA Fukushima 50 - IFMCA The Invisible Man - HMMA The Midnight Sky - IPA News Of The World - HMMA Nomadland - IFCA The Personal History Of David Copperfield - IFMCA Preparations To Be Together For An Unknown Period Of Time - ICS Wolfwalkers - IFMCA Wonder Woman 1984 - IFMCA BEST ORIGINAL SONG One Night In Miami (7) - CIC, DFCS, HFCS, HFCS, IFCA, MCFCA, PFCS The Life Ahead (3) - GG, HMMA, IPA Eurovision (2) - HCA, SCL Giving Voice - HMMA Judas And The Black Messiah - LVFCS The Outpost - HMMA Over The Moon - NDFS Trolls: World Tour - HMMA BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN Mank (16) - CFCA, CIC, FFCC, HCA, HFCS, IPA, LAFCA, LVFCS, MCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA, WAFCA First Cow - SFBAFCC His House - BIFA The Personal History Of David Copperfield - EFA A Portuguesa - ICS BEST SOUND Sound Of Metal (3) - HFCS, ICS, IPA Little Girl - EFA The Reason I Jump - BIFA BEST VISUAL EFFECTS Tenet (10) - DFCS, HFCS, HFCS, IPA, NCFCA, NFCS, PFCS, SDFCS, SFCS, StLFCA The Invisible Man (4) - CFCA, CIC, HCA, LVFCS The Platform - EFA Possessor - FFCC BEST ANIMATED FEATURE Soul (28) - AFCC, AWFJ, BFCC, CCA, CIC, DFCS, DFWFCA, FFCC, GG, HFCS, IFCA, IFJA, LVFCS, MSFCA, NBR, NCFCA, NDFS, NFCS, NTFCA, NYFCO, OFCC, OFCS, PFCC, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, WAFCA Wolfwalkers (14) - BOFCA, CFCA, COFCA, GWNYFCA, HCA, IPA, KCFCC, LAFCA, NYFCC, OAFFC, SDFCS, SFCS, TFCA, UFCA Josep (2) - EFA, ICS The Wolf House - BSFC BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM Another Round (16) - AFCC, AWFJ, CFCA, EFA, IFJA, KCFCC, LFCC, LVFCS, MCFCA, NCFCA, PFCS, SEFCA, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, UFCA, WAFCA Minari (10) - COFCA, DFCS, DFWFCA, GG, GWNYFCA, NTFCA, NYFCO, OFCS, SFCS, VFCC La Llorona (4) - BSFC, HCA, IPA, NBR Bacurau (3) - BOFCA, NYFCC, TFCA Collective (2) - AARP, NSFC The Life Ahead (2) - HFCS, SDFCS And Then We Danced - NDFS A Sun - HFCS Beanpole - LAFCA His House - CIC Identifying Features - GOTHAM Jumbo - PFCC Los Fuertes - FFCC Martin Eden - OFCC Night Of The Kings - BFCC BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE Time (11) - AFCC, BFCC, DFWFCA, GOTHAM, GWNYFCA, LAFCA, NBR, NYFCC, PFCC, SDFCS, SEFCA Collective (9) - BSFC, EFA, IPA, LFCC, OAFFC, SFBAFCC, StLFCA, TFCA, VFCC Dick Johnson Is Dead (8) - CCA, CFCA, COFCA, IFCA, IFJA, NCFCA, OFCS, UFCA Boys State (6) - CIC, DFCS, LVFCS, OFCC, PFCS, WAFCA All In: The Fight For Democracy (4) - AWFJ, HCA, NDFS, NTFCA The Dissident (2) - KCFCC, NFCS The Painter And The Thief (2) - AWFJ, BOFCA Beastie Boys Story - HFCS Class Action Park - HCA Crip Camp - IDA The History of the Seattle Mariners: Supercut Edition - SFCS My Octopus Teacher - HFCS The Reason I Jump - BIFA A Secret Love - AARP The Social Dilemma - MCFCA A Thousand Cuts - GOTHAM The Way I See It - NYFCO The Year Of The Discovery - ICS You Don't Nomi - FFCC AuthorsNicole Ackman Archives
March 2021
Categories
All
|