Opening June 27 to July 3, 2022 – Margaret Barton-Fumo reports
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 June 27 to July 3 that are of particular interest. Film titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews.
Now Streaming:
- Mink! – The New York Times Op-Docs / Hana Kuma (online) – Told by her daughter Wendy, Mink! chronicles the remarkable Patsy Takemoto Mink, a Japanese American from Hawaii who was the first woman of color to be elected to the U.S. Congress, on her harrowing mission to co-author and defend Title IX, the law that transformed athletics for generations in America for girls and women.
Tuesday, June 28
- Doula – (VOD) – USA – Comedy directed by Cheryl Nichols. After the sudden death of their midwife, an L.A. couple hires her son to be their live-in doula. Starring Troian Bellisario.
Wednesday, June 29
- Beauty – Netflix – USA – Romance directed by Andrew Dosunmu, written by Lena Waithe. A gifted young Black woman struggles to maintain her voice and identity after she’s offered a lucrative recording contract. Starring Gracie Marie Bradley.
Friday, July 1
- Clara Sola – Oscilloscope (Cinemas) – Sweden/Costa Rica – Drama directed by Nathalie Álvarez Mesén, co-written by Álvarez Mesén with Maria Camila Arias. In a remote village in Costa Rica, Clara, a withdrawn 40-year-old woman, experiences a sexual and mystical awakening as she begins a journey to free herself from the repressive religious and social conventions which have dominated her life.
- Mr. Malcolm’s List – Bleecker Street Media (Cinemas) – USA – Romantic dramedy written by Suzanne Allain and directed by Emma Holly Jones. A young woman courts a mysterious wealthy suitor in 19th century England. Starring Theo James, Ashley Park and Zawe Ashton.
- The Princess – Hulu – USA – Fantasy-action film directed by Le-Van Kiet (Furie). When a strong-willed princess refuses to wed a cruel sociopath, she is kidnapped and locked in a remote tower of her father’s castle. With her vindictive suitor intent on taking her father’s throne, the princess must save the kingdom. Starring Joey King.
- Rubikon – IFC Midnight (Cinemas, VOD) – Austria – Sci-fi directed by Magdalena Lauritsch, co-written by Lauritsch with Jessica Lind and Elisabeth Schmied. Following a catastrophe on Earth, the planet is covered in a toxic fog. The crew in the space station must decide whether to risk their lives to go home and search for survivors, or stay safe in the station’s “algae symbiosis system.”
Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.
