Female Film Critics 24/375
Raw and documentary-like in its realism, Linda Olte’s coming-of-age drama Sisters (Masas) is the moving story of a Latvian teenager who seems older than her years but in many ways is still a vulnerable child. It hinges on the powerful performance of Emma Skirmante, who makes her feature debut as 13-year-old Anastasija, a tough-acting group-home veteran who finds herself conflicted over the chance of a fresh start in America.
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Women of all shapes and sizes come together in a traditional Estonian sauna to sweat out their pain and fear in filmmaker Anna Hints’ meditative documentary Smoke Sauna Sisterhood. As the steam swirls around them, the women tell their stories, sharing joys and sorrows, trauma and triumph. Underlying everything is the reality of what it means to be a woman — and how essential it is for women to support one another.
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Smoke Sauna Sisterhood is an intimate feminist documentary from Estonian filmmaker Anna Hints. We are invited to observe a group of women who’ve come together to cleanse their bodies, minds and spirits by celebrating the ritual of a traditional Estonian sauna. The sauna’s dimly lit interior is actually considered to be sacred. It is a place where women come to give birth, to prepare the dead for burial and to relieve themselves from stressful situations in their lives.
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May December, inspired by headline-grabbing true stories like that of Mary Kay Letourneau, introduces us to Gracie (Julianne Moore), a one-time teacher who’s been married for 20 years to Joe (Charles Melton), the former student she first slept with when he was 13. They’re living an uneasy but largely happy life in Georgia when well-known Hollywood actress Elizabeth (Natalie Portman) arrives to do some background research for the movie in which she’s been cast to play Gracie. By turns star struck and suspicious, Gracie, Joe, and the rest of their family members take Elizabeth into their lives.
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With this years awards season looming large on the horizon, The Alliance of Women Film Journalists is delighted to announce our 2023 EDA Awards categories and timeline.
This year, the AWFJ EDA Awards categories are the same as they were last year. We consider and recognize films and annual achievements in three awards sections: Best Of, Female Focus and EDA Special Mention Awards. You can access the full list here.
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True crime podcasts, “murder shows,” and documentary films that expose the darker side of humanity have never been more popular — and there’s no denying they can be fun to listen to and watch. But what happens to the interviewees when the cameras stop rolling? What do the real-life people featured in documentaries give up when they agree to be filmed? The ethics of documentary filmmaking are at the heart of Jennifer Tiexiera and Camilla Hall’s fascinating, thought-provoking Subject.
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By turns heartwrenching, insightful, and as suspenseful as any big-budget thriller, Madeleine Gavin’s Beyond Utopia documents the agonizing process of trying to extricate yourself — both physically and ideologically — from North Korea. As it follows a family of defectors who are trying to reunite with loved ones in South Korea and a mother who longs to bring her teenage son to safety, the film presents a stark picture of how thoroughly North Korea controls its citizens.
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Beyond Utopia is Madeleine Gavin’s gripping documentary about North Koreans enduring the dangers of trying to escape their repressive country, risking their lives to reach Thailand, so they can eventually make their way to settlement in South Korea. We often hear reports of abusive and inhumane conditions in North Korea, bur rarely get an inside glimpse like the one provided by this galvanizing documentary. It it is very hard to watch, but it is essential viewing.
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A strong-willed mother and her independent daughter butt heads but ultimately gain a greater understanding of each other in Iranian American filmmaker Maryam Keshavarz’ semi-autobiographical dramedy The Persian Version. Switching between narrators and perspectives and jumping back and forth in time between the past and the present to reveal key moments in both women’s lives, it creatively explores tensions connected to cultural conflict and family relationships.
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Anyone age five or older in 2023 most likely knows of the exploits of Diana Nyad, the legendary long distance swimmer who at long last conquered her long-standing goal of swimming the 110 miles of open sea from Havana, Cuba to Key West, Florida. She was age 64 when she dove into her fifth attempt to swim the distance and, despite daunting odds, reached Key West after some 53 hours in the water. Directing their first narrative feature, directors Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin effectively tell the story of Nyad’s triumph.
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