Opening March 13 to 19, 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 March 13 to 19 that are of particular interest. Titles highlighted in red have links to full reviews:
Tuesday, March 14
- Back to the Drive-in – Uncork’d Entertainment – USA – Documentary written and directed by April Wright. When the pandemic hit, everyone went back to the drive-in, but behind the scenes it’s been a struggle for the resilient owners determined to keep their unique drive-ins alive.
Friday, March 17
- All the World is Sleeping – Gravitas Ventures – USA – Drama. Fighting for her own life and the ones she loves, a mother in New Mexico sinks deeper in her addiction while struggling to surface for her daughter.
- Boston Strangler – Hulu – USA – Drama starring Keira Knightley and Carrie Coon. Loretta McLaughlin was the reporter who first connected the murders and broke the story of the Boston Strangler. She and Jean Cole challenged the sexism of the early 1960s to report on the city’s most notorious serial killer.
- The Magician’s Elephant – Netflix – USA / Australia – Animated film directed by Wendy Rogers. An orphaned boy is told by a fortune teller that an elephant will help him find his lost sister.
- Moving On – Roadside Attractions (Cinemas) – USA – Comedy starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin. Two old friends reconnect at a funeral and decide to get revenge on the widower who messed with them decades before.
- The Origin of Evil – IFC Films (Cinemas) – France / Canada – Drama. A woman on the verge of financial collapse attempts to reconnect with her wealthy, estranged father and his new family.
- Pinball: The Man Who Saved the Game – Vertical Entertainment (Cinemas) – USA – Dramedy co-written and directed by Austin and Meredith Bragg. The story of Roger Sharpe, the young midwesterner who overturned New York City’s 35-year-old ban on pinball machines.
- Rodeo – Music Box Films (Cinemas) – France – Drama directed by Lola Quivoron, co-written by Quivoron and Antonia Buresi. Julia, a young misfit who is passionate about riding, meets a crew of dirt riders who fly along at full speed and perform stunts. She sets about infiltrating their male-dominated world, but an accident jeopardizes her ability to fit in.
- There’s Something Wrong with the Children – – MGM+ / VOD – USA – Horror film directed by Roxanne Benjamin. A family takes a weekend trip with longtime friends and their two young children, but they suspect something supernatural when the kids behave strangely after disappearing into the woods overnight.
- Wildflower – Momentum Pictures (Cinemas / VOD) – USA / Canada – Dramedy co-written by Jana Savage with director Matt Smukler. A coming-of-age film that follows Bea Johnson from birth to graduation as she navigates life with an intellectually disabled parent and an extended family who can’t quite agree on the best way to help.
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.
