susan wloszczyna – ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

MOVIE OF THE WEEK January 6, 2023: AFTERSUN

December 31, 2022January 3, 2023 Jennifer Merin Aftersun, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, charlotte wells, Frankie Corio, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, mariyn ferdinand, motw, Movie of the Week, Pam Grady, Paul Mescal, sandie angulo chen, susan wloszczyna

A woman’s sun-drenched recollections of a childhood holiday with her troubled father become poignant and melancholy as she revisits them two decades later in Scottish writer/director Charlotte Wells’ impressive feature debut Aftersun. Boasting excellent, authentic performances from stars Paul Mescal and young newcomer Frankie Corio, the film builds viewers’ empathy as it explores the nature of memory and the main characters’ loving but bumpy father-daughter relationship.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 30, 2022: BESTS of 2022

December 24, 2022December 24, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, jennifer merin, leslie combemae, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna

Team #MOTW looks back at the films we featured during 2022 and highlights our favorites. There are many things about 2022 that we want to forget, but these femme-helmed/femme centric films that brought inspiration, understanding, compassion, and respite replete with laughter are not among them — and they must not slip into oblivion. Add them to your watch list. Share the titles with friends. Enjoy all of AWFJ’s Best #MOTWs of 2022.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 21, 2022: WOMEN TALKING

December 17, 2022December 30, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, claire foy, frances mcdormand, jennifer merin, jessie buckley, Judith Ivey, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., Miriam Toews, motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, rooney mara, sandie angulo chen, Sarah Polley, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, truth-based, Women Talking

Morality, autonomy, agency, and community intersect in writer/director Sarah Polley‘s absorbing drama Women Talking. Literary in its pedigree — it’s adapted from Canadian author Miriam Toews’ same-named 2018 novel — and play-like in its simplicity of setting and scope, the thought-provoking film explores what happens when a group of women in a conservative, isolated religious colony must make a decision that will affect all of their lives forever.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 16, 2022: CORSAGE

December 11, 2022December 16, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Corsage, Empress Elisabeth of Austria, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marie Kreutzer, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, Vicky Krieps

In Marie Kreutzer’s memorable drama Corsage, Empress Elisabeth of Austria (Vicki Krieps) is floundering. Bogged down by the weight of lifelong social obligations, relentless public scrutiny, restrictive gender roles, and even her own bountiful head of hair, she’s a woman who’s longing to break free. That urge to rebel, to follow her heart instead of the path she’s been forced to follow since birth, drives the action in this insightful film.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK December 9, 2022: HIDDEN LETTERS

December 3, 2022December 4, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Chinese films, documentaries, He Yanxin, Hidden Letters, Hu Xin, jennifer merin, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, Nushu, Pam Grady, Qing Zhao, sandie angulo chen, susan wloszczyna, Tiebin Feng, Violet Feng, Wei Gao

A secret written language shared among Chinese women, empowering a centuries-long legacy of covert sisterhood, is at the heart of Violet Feng’s thought-provoking, insightful documentary Hidden Letters. Known as Nushu, this language is an incredibly important part of China’s cultural history — but now that it’s no longer secret, can it retain its purpose and power? And are Chinese women really free of the circumstances that led to its creation in the first place?

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK Nov 25, 2022: LAST FLIGHT HOME

November 20, 2022November 28, 2022 Jennifer Merin assisted suicide, Cate Marquis, documentaries, Eli Timoner, jennifer merin, Last Flight Home, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, Marilyn Ferdinand., motw, Movie of the Week, nell minow, ondi timoner, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, susan wloszczyna

Documentaries don’t get much more intimate than Ondi Timoner’s deeply personal Last Flight Home, which captures the last few weeks of her father Eli’s life before he chooses to end it through physician-assisted suicide. As Eli’s family gathers to bid him farewell and help each other through this heartwrenching transition, they celebrate his memorable life and their enduring love for him, as well as wrestle with their feelings about the decision he’s made.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 18, 2022: THE WONDER

November 12, 2022November 22, 2022 Jennifer Merin Alice Birch, ari wegner, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, Emma Donoghue, florence pugh, jennifer merin, Kíla Lord Cassidy, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., nell minow, sandie angulo chen, sebastian lelio, sherin nicole, susan wloszczyna, the wonder, tom burke

Based on the novel by Emma Donoghue — and supposedly inspired by a true story — Sebastián Lelio’s moody, atmospheric The Wonder features a powerful lead performance by Florence Pugh. She stars as Lib Wright, an English nurse brought to the remote Irish countryside in the early 1860s to help determine the truth behind a girl’s claim that manna from heaven — not food — is what has kept her alive for several months.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 11, 2022 – BEING THUNDER

November 5, 2022May 26, 2023 Jennifer Merin being thunder, betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, documentary, jennifer merin, leslie combemae, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., Narragansett, nell minow, Pam Grady, sandie angulo chen, Sherente Harris, sherin nicole, Stephanie Lamorre, susan wloszczyna, two-spirit

The importance of being loved, just as you are, is at the heart of Stéphanie Lamorré’s quietly observational documentary Being Thunder. As it follows Niantic Narragansett teenager Sherenté Harris — a two-spirit gender-fluid 15-year-old who finds joy in competing in traditional Native American fancy shawl dancing — the film drives home the power of the unconditional acceptance that Sherenté receives from their parents, siblings, and community.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK November 4, 2022: CALL JANE

October 29, 2022October 30, 2022 Jennifer Merin Aida Turturro, betsy bozdech, call jane, Cate Marquis, Chris Messina, elizabeth banks, grace edwards, jane collective, jennifer merin, kate mara, leslie combemale, loren king, nell minow, Pam Grady, Phyllis Nagy, sandie angulo chen, sherin nicole, sigourney weaver, susan wloszczyna, Wunmi Mosaku

Based on the true story of the Jane Collective, a group of young feminist activists who facilitated underground abortions in the Chicago area in the late 1960s and early ’70s, Phyllis Nagy’s heartfelt Call Jane illustrates, clearly and empathetically, why access to safe, affordable abortions is an essential aspect of female healthcare. The movie may take place 50-plus years ago, but in a world where the Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, the issue has never felt more timely.

Movie of the Week

MOVIE OF THE WEEK: THE REBELLIOUS LIFE OF MRS. ROSA PARKS

October 22, 2022October 24, 2022 Jennifer Merin betsy bozdech, Cate Marquis, civil rights, documentaries, Jeanne Theoharis, jennifer merin, Johanna Hamilton, leslie combemale, liz whittemore, loren king, Marilyn Ferdinand., Rosa Parks, sandie angulo chen, susan wloszczyna, The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rose Parks, Yoruba Richen

Humble. Unassuming. Spiritual. Saint-like. All of these words have been used to describe Rosa Parks, the civil rights movement icon whose decision to stay seated on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus in 1955 led to a boycott and, ultimately, to a court decision finding bus segregation unconstitutional. And there’s no doubt that she was all of those things. But as Johanna Hamilton and Yoruba Richen’s documentary The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks makes abundantly clear, she was also a proud radical and lifelong activist.

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