sandie angulo chen – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 21, 2026 – FREEFALL: A RECKONING FOR BOEING

August 17, 2026August 18, 2026 Jennifer Merin 737 MAX, aviation, betsy bozdech, Boeing Corporation, Cate Marquis, Dreamliner, Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing, jennifer merin, John Barnett, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Mark Bailey, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Rory Kennedy, sandie angulo chen, whistleblower

Watching Rory Kennedy’s pressing, powerful documentary Freefall: A Reckoning for Boeing — the follow-up to Kennedy’s equally compelling 2022 film Downfall: The Case Against Boeing — it’s impossible not to dwell on two thoughts: First, these days, the act of choosing to step foot on an American-built plane kind of feels like playing a game of Russian Roulette, and second, it’s appalling how blatantly this country continues to prioritize profits over people’s lives.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK August 14, 2026: THE RIVALS OF AMZIAH KING

August 9, 2026August 9, 2026 Jennifer Merin andrew patterson, Angelina LookingGlass, betsy bozdech, black bear, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, Matthew McConaughey, monique jones, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, The Rivals of Amziah King

If, at first, writer-director Andrew Patterson’s quirky, Oklahoma-set crime thriller The Rivals of Amziah King doesn’t seem like a very female-forward movie, just wait. Without risking any big spoilers, its safe to say that co-star Angelina LookingGlass more than holds her own against poster boy Matthew McConaughey in this twisty genre-defying indie film about queen bees, unconventional family ties, revenge, and the toe-tapping power of roots music. The Rivals of Amziah King deserves to become the sleeper hit of 2026.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 24, 2026: A LIFE ILLUMINATED

July 19, 2026 Jennifer Merin A Life Illuminated, betsy bozdech, bioluminescence, Cate Marquis, documentary, Edith Widder, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, monique jones, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, oceanography, sandie angulo chen, Tasha Van Zandt

If most people spent as much time thinking about what’s below the waves as they do what’s beyond the stars, chances are that more of them would know who Dr. Edith Widder is. But since that’s not the case, we can all be grateful to filmmaker Tasha Van Zandt for the excellent job she does presenting the pioneering oceanographer/marine biologist and her fascinating life’s work in the documentary A Life Illuminated.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 17, 2026: THE KIDNAPPING OF ARABELLA

July 12, 2026July 12, 2026 Jennifer Merin 0 Comments Benedetta Porcaroli, betsy bozdech, Carolina Cavalli, Chris Pine, italian films, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Lucrezia Guglielmino, monique jones, motw, nell minow, sandie angulo chen, The Kidnapping of Arabella

Quirky and poignant, Italian writer/director Carolina Cavalli’s The Kidnapping of Arabella tells the story of a young woman named Holly, whose grief and childhood pain conspire to leave her believing that the space-time continuum has somehow brought her face to face with a younger version of herself. As she figures out what to do with that unlikely opportunity, she must ultimately face the reality she’d rather ignore. As the movie begins, Holly, who studies physics and is mourning the loss of her mother, is begrudgingly working at an ice rink, where she opts to blame small holes in the fabric of the universe for unusual moments like randomly finding a tooth on the ice. When, after scamming/bullying a fast-food worker into giving her a free order of fries, Holly encounters a feisty 8-year-old girl in the parking lot, she becomes convinced that the child is, in fact, her younger self, brought to her to give her a second chance at making better life choices. So when the girl offers to pay Holly for a ride to “anywhere but here,” they drive off together.

Reviews

MOVIE OF THE WEEK Archive: PETITE MAMAN (April 22, 2022)

July 7, 2026July 12, 2026 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Céline Sciamma, french films, Gabrielle Sanz, jennifer merin, Joséphine Sanz, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Nina Meurisse, Petite Maman, sandie angulo chen, Stéphane Varupenne

Quietly emotional and tenderly sincere, Petite Maman is a poignant tale about loss, connection, and growing up. Blending gentle fantasy elements with grounded, naturalistic performances, writer-director Céline Sciamma tells the story of 8-year-old Nelly, whose parents take her with them to clear out her mother’s childhood home after the death of her beloved grandmother. To her surprise, she finds much more waiting for her there than her mother’s old books and playthings.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK July 10, 2026: READING LOLITA IN TEHRAN

July 5, 2026July 5, 2026 Jennifer Merin Arash Marandi, Azar Nafisi, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Daisy Miller, Eran Riklis, Golshifteh Farahani, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, marjorie david, monique jones, nell minow, Pride & Prejudice, Reading Lolita in Tehran, sandie angulo chen, The Great Gatsby, University of Allameh Tabatabei

It’s been more than 20 years since writer/English professor Azar Nafisi’s memoir Reading Lolita in Tehran became a New York Times bestseller — and nearly 50 since Nafisi began living through the events that inspired it. But her powerful story of politics, prose, and female perseverance under the shadow of Iran’s oppressive regime in the 1980s and ’90s feels extraordinarily timely in Israeli director Eran Riklis’ compelling adaptation which focuses on Nafisi as the main but includes other women’s stories that illustrate the many ways in which women have suffered in Iran since the revolution: Some were arrested and imprisoned, others were beaten, many have tense relationships with the men in their lives. The movie, like the book, makes it clear that the situation in Iran is complex and complicated: Nafisi loves her home and wants to believe it can have a better, brighter, more enlightened future — a sentiment that will likely feel all too familiar to many U.S. viewers these days.

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.

Movie of the Week

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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