Female Film Critics 24/375
Director Michelle Danner brings audiences the story of the emotionally wrought 1963 court case that led to the institution of Miranda Rights. Told through the eyes of the brave young woman Trish Weir, Miranda’s Victim is a harrowing story of the flawed justice system and a reclamation of power.
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Two distinctly fleshed-out male characters complement one another with their genuine presence for each other. Writer-director Mel Eslyn and co-writer Mark Duplass give a duality to the dialogue that is beyond clever. Biosphere is an undoubtedly slick mashup of gender identity storytelling, politics, and faith in humanity. Breezy, charming, touching, and completely unexpected, Biosphere mixes hope, science, and comedy. There is nothing else like it. It is a weird and wonderful wow of a film, brimming with delicious feminist energy.
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The 2023 edition of The Tribeca Film Festival upped the ante for female filmmakers. Femme-centric storytelling gave us innumerable outstanding performances from women of all ages. As usual, I begin my annual roundup with the caveat that this list pertains solely to the films I watched. You can read more about the festival lineup in our collective AWFJ coverage, and it is aplenty this year. Here is my 2023 list of Women to Watch from Tribeca.
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Allison Otto brings audiences one of the most audacious modern-day stories of crime and passion. A 32-year-old art heist gets the Hollywood treatment in The Thief Collector. An unassuming couple’s belongings reveal a shocking discovery. Jerry and Rita Alter hid a secret life right in plain sight. A story of theories and intrigue that gets more chilling by the minute.
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Recently released from prison, Inez (Teyana Taylor) kidnaps her six-year-old son from foster care. She and Terry survive in hiding in NYC the best they can. Writer-director A. V. Rockwell takes us on a journey through New York City’s history, weaving in news reports about Mayor Rudy Guliani, law enforcement’s stop-and-frisk announcements, and the gentrification of Harlem. Meticulous era costuming from Melissa Vargas and Ky Johnson’s hair styling on Teyana Taylor gives the film a timeless authenticity. A Thousand and One is a gritty tribute to the mothers and sons who survive in New York City’s challenging landscape.
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Plan C is an organization aiding in abortion access by providing information. As we have shifted into a Post-Roe world, Plan C must come up with fresh tactics to save live and basic human rights. The organizations efforts are chronicled in the compelling documentary Plan C.
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Sophie Compton and Reuben Hamlyn’s documentary film Another Body tells the story of one woman’s nightmare when she discovers that her face has been deepfaked onto pornographic videos on the internet. Becoming a DIY detective is her only hope to solve the mystery in a very different kind of whodunit.
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I remember the buzz when Halle Berry reportedly got a half-million-dollar payday when she bared her naked breasts in Swordfish. I thought she was a total badass for demanding more money. It felt like we’d seen a crack in Hollywood’s patriarchal foundation. Berry has since denied the payment, explaining that she was taking ownership of her body. Until then, audiences had become desensitized to women’s bodies as public currency. Kristy Guevara-Flanagan’s documentary, Body Parts, is a revelatory education.
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Writer-director Andrew Bowser gives audiences an instant classic and an ode to fandoms, everywhere, with Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls. The dialogue is over-the-top quirky and undeniably hysterical. Teresa Strebler’s production design is straight out of The Addam’s Family, with carved wood, tapestries, antique oddities, and secret passageways. Costumes are vibrant and eye-catching, and the special fx makeup team gives us pure Tim Burton deliciousness. The puppetry reminds me of 80’s Jim Henson creations. Onyx the Fortuitous and the Talisman of Souls stands shoulders above the tropes it incorporates. This film will be on everyone’s lips all year. I predict a bidding war and a franchise, and that’s a win for everyone.
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At the suggestion of her niece, lonely middle-aged Setsuko takes English lessons. When her plucky teacher John goes missing, Setsuko gets on a plane to California in search of love and a life-changing adventure. Atsuko Hirayanagi’s film explores hidden sadness and uncertainty through spontaneous and irrational behavior. Oh Lucy! underscores the lengths we’ll go to feel whole.
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