Opening Feb 27 – Mar 5, 2023 – 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 February 27 to March 5 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:  

Monday, February 27

• Film, the Living Record of Our Memory – Kino Lorber (NY Premiere) – Spain / Canada – Documentary written and directed by Inés Toharia Terán that explores film through the voices of significant professionals who have contributed to make sure moving images survive and remain accessible.

Tuesday, February 28

• Last Chance Charlene – Freestyle Digital Media (VOD) – USA – Dramedy. Reeling from her brother’s suicide, a writer/actress tries to put her complicated life back together and finally make a break in her career. Starring Allison Ewing.

Wednesday, March 1

• American Bolshevik – (VOD) – USA – Documentary written and directed by Julie Marron. This is the story of how the most hunted animal in America not only survived a century of persecution, but thrived and expanded its territory.

Friday, March 3

• La Civil – Zeitgeist / Kino Lorber (Cinemas) – Belgium / Romania / Mexico – Drama co-written and directed by Teodora Mihai. The story of Cielo, a mother whose teenage daughter is kidnapped in Northern Mexico. When the authorities offer no support in the search, Cielo takes matters into her own hands and transforms from housewife into a vengeful militant.

 

• The Forger – Kino Lorber (NY & LA) – Germany / Luxembourg – Biographical drama written and directed by Maggie Peren. Cioma Schönhaus, a 21-year-old Jewish man, escapes the Gestapo and saves lives thanks to his ability to forge passports. His other talent is forging his own identity.

 

• Love at First Kiss – Netflix – USA / Spain – Romantic comedy directed by Alauda Ruiz de Azúa that follows the story of a 16-year-old who finds he can see the whole future of a romantic relationship when he kisses a girl for the first time.

 

• Palm Trees and Power Lines – Momentum Pictures (Cinemas) – USA – Drama directed by Jamie Dack, co-written by Dack and Audrey Findlay. A disconnected teenage girl enters a relationship with a man twice her age. She sees him as the solution to all her problems, but his intentions are not what they seem.

 

• Split at the Root – Netflix – USA – Documentary directed by Linda Goldstein Knowlton. When a Guatemalan mother seeking asylum was separated from her kids under Zero Tolerance Policy, a Facebook post by a mom in Queens coalesced into a movement as thousands of like-minded women across the US refused to stand by quietly.

 

• Still the Water – Film Movement (re-release) – France / Japan / Spain – Drama written and directed by Naomi Kawase. On a subtropical island, a teenage couple deal with the interwoven cycle of life, death and love.

 

• The Year Between – Gravitas Ventures (Cinemas) – USA – Drama written, directed by and starring Alex Heller. Clemence Miller is coming home to live in her family’s basement after dropping out of college with a newly diagnosed mental illness. Having to face her battered relationships and responsibilities of adulthood, she is driving everyone around her… crazy.

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.