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Entertainment July 30, 2019
ENTITY’s list of weird films from daring and dangerous female directors.
ENTITY shares top picks of wild movies by female directorsFemale directors haven’t gotten the acknowledgment they deserve. Women direct hundreds of fabulous films. But only five women have ever been nominated for Best Director at the Academy Awards, and only one possesses the coveted gold statuette. That’s quite a shame because women directors often push the envelope in dangerous and daring ways. Wild movies by female directors are coming at a rapid rate.
In recent years, the number of female directors present in the film scene is higher than ever, and so is the audaciousness of their work. It’s time female moviemakers get attention for the wonderful and weird work they produce. Here are 5 wild movies by female directors with brave and bold direction.
”Raw” is a 2017 French horror film and Julia Ducournau’s debut as the director of a major film. The movie focuses on Justine (Garance Marillier), a brilliant 16-year-old in veterinary school who comes from a family of vegetarians. Away from her family for the first time, Justine ingests raw meat in a hazing ritual. Eating the meat awakens a hunger inside the teenager that can no longer be suppressed.
Ducournau is deft in her direction of “Raw.” The movie is perfectly-paced and astounding in its content. “Raw” is an allegory of a young woman’s sexual awakening — and the fear it can inspire in those around her.
“The Kindergarten Teacher” is an uncomfortable watch. The 2018 drama centers around Lisa Spinelli (Maggie Gyllenhaal). Lisa finds her life dull — she feels separate from her husband and two children, and her poetry career won’t take off. When a student begins to spout powerful and precocious poetry, Lisa takes an interest in his art that quickly verges into inappropriateness.
Sarah Colangelo won the award for Best Directing (U.S. Dramatic) at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Star Gyllenhaal says of her character, “I think she’s a woman right now who’s going, ‘I’m starving. I thought I was okay. I’m not okay.’ … She’s also an artist, and she’s just completely not being heard or seen as an artist … In terms of trying to get herself fed, she goes down this really questionable path.” Because of these narrative layers, the movie is rich for psychological and feminist analyses. But you will be squirming in your seat all throughout this one.
Director Karyn Kusama is well-known for her 2009 comedy-horror “Jennifer’s Body.” “The Invitation” is a hidden horror gem that showcases the director’s maturity since that release. The film begins with a bit of violence, as Will (Logan Marshall-Green) and his girlfriend accidentally strike a coyote with their car on the way to a party organized by Will’s ex-wife and her new husband. As a result, Will performs a mercy-killing on the coyote. When they arrive at the party, Will immediately becomes suspicious that the motives behind the get-together are sadistic, and that they are in danger.
Director Kusama makes frequent forays into the horror genre, but the tension she crafts in “The Invitation” packs a punch, making the film one of her most effective. Kusama is generally underappreciated, so here’s to seeing more of her in the future, especially after the in-your-face impact of “The Invitation.”
”The Love Witch” is a 2016 comedy-horror that looks more like it’s from 1966. It is generally screened on 35mm film and sports a technicolor palette to emulate sixties film aesthetics. The movie centers on Elaine, a young witch with power and influence over the men in her life. When Elaine decides that she wants to find romance, she creates a love potion — but when she gets what she wants, she isn’t necessarily happy.
Anna Biller’s aesthetic is enough of a reason to watch the film as it is, but it’s the way that the typical power dynamics between men and women are turned on their head that makes the movie awe-inducing. That, and the crazy, witchy violence throughout.
“A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night” is a critical darling from Iranian director Ana Lily Amirpour. The 2014 film centers around a beautiful, lonesome vampire in a chador who prowls around the city at night. The woman finds romance, but not before wreaking havoc and inflicting violence on those around her.
The film focuses more on atmosphere than on action — so this one moves a bit slower than the others on the list. But if you like your horror with a slow burn and feminist themes, here’s another film for you.
Female directors deserve more recognition. So why not give it to them? Check out these weird and wild movies by female directors and let your freak flag fly.
