ALLIANCE OF WOMEN FILM JOURNALISTS

Female Film Critics 24/375

the fence

Festivals 

New York Film Festival 2025 Roundup – Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

This year, the 63rd annual New York Film Festival boasted an impressive roster of women-produced and women-prominent features, spanning across a variety of different genres. In general, this year’s more anticipated, big-ticket films turned out to be less remarkable than some of the quieter releases, as we’ll address in this roundup. The festival opener, for example, Luca Guadagnino’s After the Hunt, while an apt showcase for Julia Roberts, was a coolly received treatise on cancel culture told from within the confines of the ivory tower of academia. Other films in the Main Slate, like Kelly Reichardt’s The Mastermind and Joachim Trier’s Sentimental Value, while more understated features, received greater praise from audiences and critics alike.

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Festivals Reviews 

THE FENCE (NYFF 2025) – Review by Margaret Barton-Fumo

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , ,

Undeniably a master filmmaker with over 35 years of experience directing features, Claire Denis has reached the inevitable point in her career where it is difficult to live up to the standards set by her previous work. This film in particular could use a little more formal pizzazz. Due to its theatrical structure, the film runs a bit flat. The screenplay addresses many of Denis’ often explored themes, such as colonialism, desire, and homosocial relationships, but these are all touchstones represented by mostly familiar talking points. By the time night ends and the drama comes to a head, Denis has wrangled the film into something interesting, but overall The Fence stands as a rather anemic work.

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