There aren’t many female-centric films that opened last Friday (only one…boo) or coming out this Friday. But I’m so excited to FINALLY see Snow White and the Huntsman.
Now, that might surprise some of you, considering I complained that this version of the Snow White story, no matter how much of a badass action-fantasy retelling, still seems to perpetuate stereotypes of women and aging, women deriving power from beauty and pits women against each other. But it’s always a delight to see the incredibly talented Charlize Theron, a veritable chameleon who effortlessly slips into any role. She looks like she’s having a blast here as the Wicked Queen Ravenna. As Allison Heard pointed out, Kristen Stewart as Snow White is “not a helpless, damsel in distress, but instead is a sword-wielding, armor-wearing warrior that fights her own battles, literally and metaphorically.” It may not be a feminist film (but god I hope it is) but it still looks intriguing and entertaining.
I missed it at the 2012 Athena Film Festival, so I also want to see country music star Chely Wright’s documentary, Chely Wright: Wish Me Away, about her journey coming out as a lesbian. It looks heartbreaking and inspiring. Directed by Lea Pool, Pink Ribbons, Inc.‘s exploration of the “pinkwashing” of breast cancer looks compelling too, especially in light of the Susan G. Komen Foundation’s bullshit debacle when they supported defunding Planned Parenthood. Directed by Julia Murat, the Brazilian film Found Memories sounds interesting as it features two women who forge a deep bond. And we don’t see nearly enough female camaraderie on-screen.
So what films are you excited to see??
Friday, May 25
Ida, a feisty and rebellious young girl, dreams of one day finding her father, a rodeo rider, whose identity her mom has kept from her. While searching for her dad at a local rodeo, Ida meets the Sweethearts of the Rodeo, a team of young female trick riders run by cowboy legend Terence Parker. Terence discovers that Ida is the grand-daughter of a friend who passed away years before, so he decides to help her. Ida joins the Sweethearts and embarks with them on a tour of rodeos throughout the west. Ida hopes to find her father, but she discovers much more, including a love for horses that redefines her life. — (C) Sense and Sensibility Ventures
Friday, June 1
Chely Wright: Wish Me Away is the story of Chely Wright, the first country music star to come out as gay. Over three years, the filmmakers were given extraordinary access to Chely’s struggle and her unfolding plan to come out publicly. Using interviews with Chely, her family, her pastor, and key players in Nashville interwoven with Chely’s intimate private video diaries, the film goes deep into her back story as an established country music star and then forward as she steps into the national spotlight to reveal her secret. Chronicling the aftermath in her hometown of Nashville and within the larger LGBT community, Wish Me Away reveals both the devastation of her own internalized homophobia and the transformational power of living an authentic life. — (C) First Run
Like every morning, Madalena makes bread for Antonio’s old coffee shop. Like every day, she crosses the railways where no trains have passed for years; she cleans up the gate of the locked cemetery, and listens to the priest’s sermon before sharing lunch with the other old villagers. Clinging to the image of her dead husband and living in her memories, Madalena is awakened by the arrival of Rita, a young photographer who is arriving in the ghost village of Jotuomba, where time seems to have stopped. A deep relationship is forged between the two women, which gradually builds to have a profound effect on both of their lives, as well as the rest of the villagers. — (C) Film Movement
The ubiquitous pink ribbons of breast cancer philanthropy and the hand-in-hand marketing of brands and products associated with it permeates our culture, providing assurance that we are engaged in a successful battle against this insidious disease. But the campaign obscures the reality and facts of breast cancer, more and more women are diagnosed with breast cancer every year, and face the same treatment options they did 40 years ago. Yet women are also the most influential market group, buying 80 percent of consumer products and making most major household purchasing decisions. So then who really benefits from the pink ribbon campaigns – the cause or the company? — (C) First Run
In the epic action-adventure Snow White and the Huntsman, Kristen Stewart plays the only person in the land fairer than the evil queen (Charlize Theron) out to destroy her. But what the wicked ruler never imagined is that the young woman threatening her reign has been training in the art of war with a huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) dispatched to kill her. Sam Claflin joins the cast as the prince long enchanted by Snow White’s beauty and power. — (C) Universal Pictures
All film descriptions taken from Rotten Tomatoes