Female Film Critics 24/375
Some rare, remarkable real-life stories deserve cinematic dramatization. In that esteemed group is first-time director Rachel Morrison’s The Fire Inside. Written and co-produced by the award-winning Barry Jenkins (Moonlight 2016, If Beale Street Could Talk 2018), the inspirational story captures the talent and grit of American boxer Claressa “T-Rex” Shields as she trains for the 2012 London Olympics.
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Mufasa is the origin story of the African lion that would grow up to be king of the Pride Lands. After a flood leaves the now orphaned cub lost and alone, Mufasa is befriended by a young lion prince named Taka, adopted by his royal family and the pair become close as brothers. When a neighboring den seeks revenge, the two escape and set out on a trek that changes the trajectory of their lives. Barry Jenkins tries his hand at PG with this family friendly Incredible Journey told in flashback. Original songs by the multi-award winning Lin-Manuel Miranda help tell Mufasa’s circle of life.
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There’s nothing quite like a sports underdog movie to stir the emotions — even if you know where it’s ultimately headed, when it’s done right, there’s something about watching a “triumph against the odds” drama that makes you want to stand up and cheer, especially when it’s based on a true story. And while there are plenty of boxing films on that list, virtually none have told a story like Claressa Shields’. Rachel Morrison more than fills that gap with the stirring The Fire Inside.
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Bryan Tyree Henry makes everything he is in better. He is the expansive soul of The Fire Inside, the feature directorial debut of notable cinematographer Rachel Morrison, who shot Mudbound and Black Panther. Her film, written by Barry Jenkins, is the true story of American boxing champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields (played by Ryan Destiny) that will be a revelation for anyone who doesn’t follow the sport. Morrison captures the decay and poverty in Flint, Michigan, home to Henry’s boxer-turned-coach Jason Crutchfield and the surly, determined kid who shows up at his grungy gym.
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Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt is an ambitious debut, produced with the help of Barry Jenkins’ PASTEL production company. Zoomed in closely on the life of a young woman in rural Mississippi, Jackson’s film favors minute details and amplified emotions, resulting in a quite experimental feature. Parsing through shuffled scenes within a timeline that spans decades, one can intuit the main character Mack’s significant life events, without the aid of a talkative script.
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In 1970s Harlem, childhood friends Tish Rivers and Fonny Hunt, inexorably, beautifully fall in love and look forward to building their life together. Their love story unfolds in nonlinear fashion, so by the time Tish realizes she is pregnant, her aspiring artist lover is already in prison, falsely accused of raping a Puerto Rican woman.
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Kiki Layne has an extraordinary breakthrough performance in Barry Jenkins’ If Beale Street Could Talk, based on the 1974 novel by James Baldwin. She plays Tish, deeply in love with the unjustly accused Fonny (Stephan James) and pregnant with his child. In an interview, she discussed her early love of acting, creating the look of her character, and the challenge of doing justice to the voiceover narration, her character’s thoughts and Baldwin’s language.
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The Oscars continue to be on my “must see” list and this year’s 89th edition was not only immensely enjoyable, but historic for many reasons. It was the first time in history that an African-American director won for Best Picture; it was the first win for Supporting Actor for a Muslim; it was the first win for a picture about someone in the LGBTQ community, and the first Best Foreign Film win for someone who was not there in protest of a travel ban instituted by the President of the United States. Sometimes it is difficult to remember from year to year who won Best Picture, but the “Moonlight” – “La La Land” flub will forever be in our collective memories.
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The women of AWFJ have voted! The Alliance of Women Film Journalists is pleased to announce the winners of the tenth annual AWFJ EDA Awards. This year, AWFJ presents EDA Awards in 25 categories, divided into three sections: the standard ‘Best Of’ section, the Female Focus awards and the irreverent EDA Special Mention awards—including Actress Most in Need of a New Agent and the AWFJ Hall of Shame Award. Read on…
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Writer/director Barry Jenkins has created an achingly affecting, incandescent coming-of-age story, told in three chapters, covering 16 years – with
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