ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

Author: Joan Amenn

Reviews 

AWFJ Presents: Julie Taymor’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , , , , , ,

Anyone who found themselves uninspired by their high school English classes might remember that there was a small spark of fun to look forward to, if they were lucky. Should your instructor assign you to read, or better yet, watch a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you could anticipate some magical entertainment. Julie Taymor staged her own version of the classic in 2014 and fortunately, it was captured on film because it is astonishing.

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Reviews 

KILI BIG – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , ,

Director Ida Joglar takes us on an inspiring and empowering journey with the members of the “Curvy Kili Crew” in this wonderfully touching film that explores the impact a support group can have on personal growth. Although the women of the “Crew” have experienced painful stereotyping for being plus sized, they find solidarity and compassion for each other as they setnout to scale one of the most famous mountains in the world, Kilimanjaro.

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Reviews 

MY NAME IS SARA – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , ,

On the Polish border of Ukraine, two young refugees flee their Nazi pursuers in 1942. This is how My Name is Sara opens and it is a nail-biter of a first act as we see Sara (Zuzanna Surowy) being separated from her family as World War II devastates her home country. Her true story of survival at a terrible cost is the plot of the film and it makes for a compelling opening and closing with a bit of a slog in the middle.

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Reviews 

FAIR PLAY – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , , , ,

Based on a book of the same name by Eve Rodsky, director Jennifer Siebel Newsom attempts to bring a light touch to some very somber statistics about the effects of gender roles in families struggling to maintain their work life balance. Seen through the somewhat fractured prism of the recent Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade, some of the humor can make a viewer wince rather than ruefully chuckle but the points raised are worth pursuing.

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Reviews 

AWFJ Presents: Julie Taymor’s A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , , , , , ,

Anyone who found themselves uninspired by their high school English classes might remember that there was a small spark of fun to look forward to, if they were lucky. Should your instructor assign you to read, or better yet, watch a performance of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream, you could anticipate some magical entertainment. Julie Taymor staged her own version of the classic in 2014 and fortunately, it was captured on film because it is astonishing.

Read more
Reviews 

TREES OF PEACE – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , , ,

In the 1990’s Rwanda was torn apart by violence between the Hutu and Tutsi tribes that pit neighbor against neighbor in a bloody genocide. This film, based on that horrible time in the country’s history, is quietly devastating in telling the story of four women thrown together in their struggle to stay alive amid incomprehensible mass slaughter. Director Alanna Brown keeps her camera tightly focused on her four female characters as they learn more about each other and how the outside conflict impacts them all.

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Reviews 

DECEPTION – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , , , ,

It helps, but is not mandatory, to know something about the work of author Philip Roth when viewing this adaptation of his novel, Deception. The book is mostly dialog between its two main characters so any attempt at translating it to film is a daring project. Director Arnaud Desplechin takes it on with a strong sense of the rhythmic nature of the give and take between the two lovers that make up the plot. However, the underlying themes of self-loathing and obsession bog down the story, making it feel stifling and static at times.

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Festivals 

SEATTLE INTERNATIONAL FILM FEST WRAP – Joan Amenn reports

Joan Amenn , , , , , ,

Since 1976, the Seattle International Film Festival has been a welcoming venue for those underrepresented creatives who have struggled to have their voices heard and their visions seen. SIFF has grown to be a year-round source of inspiration with many events being offered and even a summer camp for kids, but the festival is its heart. Held this year from Apr 14 – 24), the festival’s focus was — as it has always been — on diversity.

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Reviews 

UNPLUGGING – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , ,

Unplugging goes all in on exploring the pitfalls of our addictions to our electronic devices, in a shrewdly satirical and slightly annoying way. The jokes don’t always land but the main characters, a couple who are trying to reconnect with each other, are amusing enough to keep us journeying with them in their weekend escape from the pressures of email, texting, and roaming Wi-Fi connections.

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Reviews 

WOMEN OF THE WHITE BUFFALO – Review by Joan Amenn

Joan Amenn , , ,

We learn about the Lakota tribe in South Dakota in director Deborah Anderson’s heartbreaking documentary, Women of the White Buffalo. Despite crushing obstacles to the preservation of their culture and their language, there are women in the tribe who are fighting for their way of life to endure. Only someone with a true warrior’s spirit could face the personal struggles and the historical tragedies of the Lakota people and continue to safeguard their traditions, but these women are following in the footsteps of their matriarchal ancestors and are resolute.

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