betsy bozdech – Page 2 – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 3, 2026: MARY OLIVER: SAVED BY THE BEAUTY OF THE WORLD

June 28, 2026July 4, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, John Waters, kino lorber, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Mary Oliver, Mary Oliver: Saved By the Beauty of the World, Molly Malone Cook, monique jones, nell minow, Pulitzer Prize for Poetry, Sasha Waters, Stephen Colbert

Even if you’re not someone who reads poetry regularly, odds are you’ve heard the line “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” If so, congratulations: You know Mary Oliver’s work! But there was so much more to Oliver’s own wild and precious life than that one oft-quoted excerpt from The Summer Day, as director Sasha Waters makes clear in her thoughtful documentary Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World. Oliver found such profound insights in being in the natural world, and whose poems touched so many. In Sasha Waters’ documentary, a range of famous figures read their favorite Mary Oliver poem or speak about knowing her, including John Waters, Stephen Colbert, Oprah Winfrey, Helena Bonham Carter and Steve Buscemi. Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World explores Mary Oliver’s work and her life, with copious examples of the former, often accompanied by lovely nature imagery, and the latter accompanied by archival footage and stills taken from the poet’s very private and quiet personal life, in this fine, informative and immersive biography of the poet.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 26, 2026: COUTURE

June 21, 2026June 21, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alice Winocour, angelina jolie, Anyier Anei, betsy bozdech, couture, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, nell minow, paris fashion week, sandie angulo chen

Fashion often feels far from fabulous in writer/director Anna Winocour’s Paris-set drama Couture, which takes a frank look at what goes on behind the scenes in the world of impossibly chic designer dresses and elite runway models. But as it weaves together the stories of three different women — an up-and-coming director, a brand new model, and a make-up artist with big dreams — it creates a memorable fabric of emotion and experience.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 19, 2026: GOAT GIRL (LA NINA DE LA CABRA)

June 14, 2026June 14, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alessandra González, Ana Asensio, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Goat Girl, jennifer merin, Juncal Fernández, La Niña de la Cabra, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Lorena López, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, sandie angulo chen

A young girl living in Madrid in the late 1980s learns a lot about life in writer/director Ana Asensio’s charmingly poignant Spanish drama Goat Girl (aka La Niña de la Cabra). Maintaining a child’s-eye view throughout, Asensio captures how challenging it can be to make sense of the world around you when you’re just 8 years old and beginning to understand that grownups don’t have all the right answers.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 12, 2026: HONEYJOON

June 7, 2026June 8, 2026 Jennifer Merin Amira Casar, Ayden Mayeri, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Honeyjoon, Inés Gowland, jennifer merin, José Condessa, leslie combemale, Lilian T. Mehrel, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen

Part mother-daughter comedy, part grief drama, part generational clash, and part travelogue, writer/director Lilian T. Mehrel’s charming, poignant Honeyjoon tells the story of two women in mourning whose complicated feelings — for themselves, for each other, and for the loved one they’ve lost — must be sorted out before they can move forward. The fact that it’s all happening while they’re in the gorgeous Azores Islands both helps and hinders their journey.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK June 5, 2026: GEORGIA O’KEEFFE: THE BRIGHTNESS OF LIGHT

May 31, 2026May 31, 2026 Jennifer Merin Alfred Stieglitz, betsy bozdech, cargo & releasing, Cate Marquis, claire danes, documentary, female artists, Georgia O'Keeffe, Georgia O'Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, hugh dancy, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Paul Wagner, sandie angulo chen

American visual artists don’t get much more iconic than Georgia O’Keeffe, the pioneering modern abstract painter whose iconic images have adorned walls everywhere from prestigious museums to college dorm rooms. In his thorough documentary Georgia O’Keeffe: The Brightness of Light, director Paul Wagner tells her fascinating, nearly century-long life story, following her and her evolving art from the plains of the Midwest to the New Mexico high desert and everywhere in between.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 29, 2026: NESTING (PEAU A PEAU)

May 24, 2026May 24, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Chloé Cinq-Mars, French Canadian films, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, loren king, monique jones, Nesting, Peau a Peau, Rose-Marie Perreault, Saladin Dellers, sandie angulo chen, Simon Landry-Desy

A new mother’s unresolved trauma leads to intense distress in writer/director Chloé Cinq-Mars’ gripping French drama/thriller Nesting. As it explores the impact of postpartum depression, the film paints a painfully relatable picture of what it’s like to lose your sense of self once part of that self becomes a needy, vulnerable creature that seemingly can’t be satiated, no matter how much you might love it or sacrifice for it.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 22, 2026: ASK E. JEAN

May 17, 2026 Jennifer Merin Ask E. Jean, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentaries, donald trump, E. Jean Carroll, ivy meeropol, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen

For anyone who hears the name “E. Jean Carroll” and thinks “that woman who sued Donald Trump,” do yourself a favor and watch Ivy Meeropol’s engaging documentary Ask E. Jean sooner than later. Because, yes, Carroll did do that, but she’s also done so much more (let’s just say that you don’t get nicknamed “the female Hunter S. Thompson” for being boring), and she deserves to be just as well known for all of that, too.

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MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 15, 2026: MAGIC HOUR

May 10, 2026May 11, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Brad Garrett, Cate Marquis, Daveed Diggs, greenwich entertainment, jennifer merin, Katie Aselton, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Magic Hour, mark duplass, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, Susan Sullivan

It’s tricky to discuss Katie Aselton’s poignant relationship drama Magic Hour without revealing the story twists that give it such a powerful emotional punch. The writer-director-star crafts the first act of her film very carefully, setting viewers’ expectations and then challenging them. The result is both romantic and touching, with memorable performances by Aselton and co-star Daveed Diggs and a gorgeous, haunting setting amid the singular landscape of Joshua Tree.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK May 1, 2026: AMERICAN DREAM

April 26, 2026 Jennifer Merin academy award best documentary, American dream, barbara kopple, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, hormel, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Lewie Anderson, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Ray Rogers, sandie angulo chen, United Food and Commercial Workers

It’s been slightly over 40 years since Hormel factory workers in Austin, Minnesota, went on a nearly year-long strike to protest slashed wages and benefits — and 35 years since Barbara Kopple’s revealing film about the strike, American Dream, won the Best Documentary Oscar in 1991. And what lingers most after watching the movie’s new 4K restoration is the feeling of how relevant so much of it still is decades later. Sure, fashions may have changed since the mid-’80s, and filmmaking equipment is more sophisticated these days but we still live in a world (or at least a country) in which the rich continue to get richer while the working class struggles to make ends meet. And when the latter dares to stand up for themselves, they’re met with disdain, condescension, and an unyielding devotion to capitalism. Let’s just say that the parade of White men in suits defending Hormel’s anti-worker policies and choices in 1985 doesn’t feel very far removed from the politicians and business leaders who are still prioritizing profit over people in 2026.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK April 24, 2026 – THE CHAPLAIN AND THE DOCTOR

April 19, 2026April 21, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Betty Clark, Cate Marquis, documentary, end of life, Highland Hospital, jennifer merin, Jessica Zitter, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, nell minow, palliative care, sandie angulo chen, The Chaplain and the Doctor

Listening to Dr. Jessica Zitter and Pastor Betty Clark note, more than once, how unusual their close working relationship on the palliative care team at Oakland’s Wilma Chan Highland Hospital is, it’s impossible not to shake your head and wonder why. Because, as the moving documentary The Chaplain and the Doctor — which Zitter also directed — makes abundantly clear, their teamwork benefits the hospital’s patients (and each other) in many ways.