SXSW: My Darling Vivian
Filmmaker Matt Riddlehoover’s new documentary My Darling Vivian sets the record straight about Vivian Liberto, Johnny Cash’s first wife. Features interviews with their four daughters.
SXSW: Good Ol Girl
Directed by Sarah Brennan Kolb, Good Ol Girl explores the struggle between long-held traditions and female independence and the slow fade of rural life.
SXSW: Blackheads
Blackheads is a highly satisfying short film about a woman dealing with a break-up, a bad therapist and a giant blackhead.
SXSW: Basic
Basic packs a punch in a mere 3 minutes and 3 seconds. An engaging short about dating insecurities in the age of social media.
SXSW: Finding Yingying
Filmmaker Jiayan “Jenny” Shi’s Finding Yingying is a sensitive portrayal of a young woman with a bright future and a family struggling to come to terms with their loss.
SXSW: The Dilemma of Desire
Quelle Movies: The Dilemma of Desire, a new documentary about the clitoris and women’s sexuality. #SXSW #Cliteracy
NewFest: All We’ve Got
A fairly unpolished yet important documentary explores the decline in lesbian community spaces with a focus on the ones that are still thriving.
Interview with Neasa Hardiman, director of Sea Fever
Raquel Stecher interviews Neasa Hardiman, director of Sea Fever, a science fiction film that had its world premiere at the 2019 Toronto International Film Festival.
TIFF: Portrait of a Lady on Fire
Céline Sciamma’s Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a mesmerizing and atmospheric lesbian love story. Highly recommended.
TIFF: Disco
Norwegian film follows a talented teenager plagued with problems who loses herself through her involvement in Christian cults.
TIFF: Pelican Blood
Set in the bucolic countryside of Germany, Pelican Blood tells the story of Wiebke, an adoptive mother and talented horse trainer. It’s at her horse camp there that she trains … Continue Reading TIFF: Pelican Blood
TIFF: Hope
Directed by Maria Sødahl and based on a true story, Hope is a heart-wrenching tale of a woman who must face her terminal cancer diagnosis and at the same time mend her broken relationship.
TIFF: Sea Fever
An enthralling sci-fi film from Irish filmmaker Neasa Hardiman. Feels both classic and brand new. Stays true to its story and doesn’t rely on splashy special effects to be thrilling.
Rafiki
Directed by Wanuri Kahiu, Rafiki stars Samantha Mugatsia and Sheila Munyiva as two young Kenyan women who fall in love and have to face the ramifications of their anti-LGBTQ culture. Available on DVD from Film Movement.
The Heiresses
The Heiresses is a quiet and spare lesbian drama. It will resonate with anyone who has settled into their ways and suddenly finds themselves having to reinvent their life.
Greta
Greta is a psychological thriller that had potential but instead of taking a deep dive it stays in the shallow end leaving viewers wanting more. Review sponsored by DVD Netflix.