ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Lists 

Opening October 11 to 17, 2021- Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

Margaret Barton-Fumo , ,
0 Flares 0 Flares ×

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists highlights movies made by and about women. With a vigilant eye toward current releases, we maintain an interactive record of films that are pertinent to our interests. Be they female-made or female-centric productions, they are films that represent a wide range of women’s stories and present complex female characters. As such, they are movies that will most likely be reviewed on AWFJ.org and will qualify for consideration for our annual EDA Awards, celebrating exceptional women working in film behind and in front of the camera. Our members are feature writers, columnists and regular contributors to a variety of media outlets and many of us publish regularly on the festival circuit. Our critical voices are widespread and diverse. We invite you to join us in tracking weekly releases of particular interest. And we welcome information about new films that will help us to keep our records updated and our critics alert. Below is a concise list of new releases set for the week of October 11 to 17 that are of particular interest:  

Wednesday, October 13  

  • Fever Dream – (Netflix) – Peru / Chile / Spain / Argentina / USA – Drama written and directed by Claudia Llosa, adapted from the novel by Samanta Schweblin. A young woman named Amanda lies in pain while a young teenager named David urgently questions her. Together they will reveal a disturbing tale of broken souls, an invisible lurking terror, and the fragile threads that bind parents and children.

Thursday, October 14  

  • Crutch – (Discovery+) – USA – Documentary co-directed by Sachi Cunningham and Chandler Evans about Bill Shannon, aka “Crutch Master,” a multi-disciplinary artist who defies definition and gravity.

Friday, October 15 

  • Bergman Island – IFC Films (Cinemas) – France / Belgium / Germany / Sweden / Mexico – Drama written and directed by Mia Hansen-Løve, starring Tim Roth, Vicky Krieps, Mia Wasikowska. A couple retreat to the island that inspired Ingmar Bergman to write screenplays for their upcoming films when the lines between reality and fiction start to blur.

    •  

  • The Blazing World – Vertical Entertainment (Cinemas, VOD) – USA – Adventure dramedy co-written, directed by and starring Carlson Young. Decades after the accidental drowning of her twin sister, a self-destructive young woman returns to her family home, finding herself drawn to an alternate dimension where her sister may still be alive. Also starring Udo Kier, Dermot Mulroney and Vinessa Shaw.

    •  

  • Freeland – Dark Star Pictures (Cinemas; VOD release Nov. 19) – USA – Drama co-written and directed by Mario Furloni and Kate McLean, starring Krisha Fairchild. An aging pot farmer finds her world shattered as she races to bring in what could be her final harvest.

    •  

  • Halloween Kills – Universal Pictures (Cinemas, Peacock) – UK / USA – Horror franchise starring scream queen Jamie Lee Curtis, Judy Greer and Anthony Michael Hall. The saga of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode continues in the next thrilling chapter of the Halloween series.

    •  

  • Introducing, Selma Blair – Discovery+ (Cinemas; VOD release Oct. 21) – USA – Documentary directed by Rachel Fleit. A deeply intimate and raw portrait of actress Selma Blair after she is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis and tries to slow the progression of her disease.

    •  

  • The Last Duel – 20th Century Studios / Disney (Cinemas) – USA / UK – Historical drama directed by Ridley Scott, starring Matt Damon, Jodie Comer and Adam Driver. Co-written by Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, and Nicole Holofcener, who contributed to the screenplay’s female perspective.

    •  

  • Wheel of Fortune and Fantasy – Film Movement (Cinemas) – Japan – Drama written and directed by Ryûsuke Hamaguchi. An unexpected love triangle, a failed seduction trap and an encounter that results from a misunderstanding, told in three movements to depict three female characters and trace the trajectories between their choices and regrets.

Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.

0 Flares Twitter 0 Facebook 0 0 Flares ×

Margaret Barton-Fumo

Based in New York, Margaret Barton-Fumo has contributed to Film Comment since 2006. Her monthly online column, “Deep Cuts,” focused on the intersection of film and music. She has interviewed such directors, actors, and musicians as Brian De Palma, James Gray, Harry Dean Stanton, and Paul Williams, and has additionally contributed to Senses of Cinema and Stop Smiling. She is the editor of Paul Verhoeven: Interviews, published by the University Press of Mississippi.