Opening Aug 22 – 28, 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 August 22 to 28 that are of particular interest. Titles in red have links to full reviews.  

Now Streaming on OVID.tv:

• To a More Perfect Union: U.S. v. WIndsor – USA – Documentary directed by Donna Zacccaro. A true story of love, marriage and a quest for equality, focusing on octogenarian Edie Windsor and her attorney, Roberta Kaplan.

Friday, August 26

• Adopting Audrey – Vertical (Cinemas) – USA – Jena Malone stars in as a lonely women who’s looking for a meaningful familial relationship that gives her a sense of belonging and connection.

 

• Breaking – Bleecker Street Media (Cinemas) – USA – Thriller directed by Abi Damaris Corbin, starring John Boyega. A Marine war veteran faces mental and emotional challenges when he tries to reintegrate back into civilian life.

 

• Highway One – Indican Pictures (VOD) – USA – Drama written and directed by Jaclyn Bethany. In rural California, Anna is hosting a New Year’s Eve party. Nina, a long-gone friend from high school, unexpectedly shows up, and over the course of the evening, Maria struggles with her feelings as she faces the partygoers, a gaggle of eccentric millennials.

 

• Into the Deep – Lionsgate (Cinemas, VOD) – UK / USA – Thriller directed by Kate Cox. A young woman desperate for an escape meets a mysterious and attractive stranger who promises a romantic trip. What follows is deceit, mistrust, and violence.

 

• The Invitation – Sony Pictures Entertainment (Cinemas) – USA – Horror film directed by Jessica M. Thompson, co-written by Thompson and Blair Butler. A young woman is courted and swept off her feet, only to realize a gothic conspiracy is afoot.

 

• Jane – Blue Fox Entertainment (Cinemas) – USA – Thriller co-written and directed by Sabrina Jaglom. Seemingly perfect high school senior, Olivia, struggles with grief from the recent loss of a friend. In an attempt to regain some sense of control, she embarks on a social media-fueled rampage but as things escalate, she is forced to confront (and ultimately embrace) her darkest impulses in order to get ahead.

 

• Three Thousand Years of Longing – MGM / United Artists (Cinemas) – Australia / USA – Fantasy-drama directed by George Miller, co-written by Miller with Augusta Gore, based upon a short story by A.S. Byatt. A lonely scholar, on a trip to Istanbul, discovers a Djinn who offers her three wishes in exchange for his freedom. Starring Tilda Swinton and Idris Elba.

 

Film descriptions are adapted from press releases. Titles in red have links to full reviews. Stay tuned in for next week’s releases! Contact us if we’ve overlooked anything.