“Pure” by Lisa Langseth (Sweden, 2010)

Pure

Outstanding acting by Vikander / a not really focused and a bit chaotic musical choice / original title: To What’s Beautiful

Cast: Alicia Vikander, Samuel Fröler, Josephine Bauer
Director: Lisa Langseth
Writer: Lisa Langseth
Music by Per-Erik Winberg
Cinematography by Simon Pramsten
Film Editing by Malin Lindström

“Edge Of Tomorrow” by Doug Liman (USA, 2014)

Edge of Tomorrow

A movie that has an interesting time-loop story and nice humor during the first half, but lacks of brains and humor in the end  / Obvious gender roles for Tom Cruise

Cast: Tom Cruise, Emily Blunt, Brendan Gleeson, Bill Paxton, Jonas Armstrong, Tony Way, Kick Gurry, Dragomir Mrsic, Charlotte Riley, Noah Taylor
Director: Doug Liman
Novel: Hiroshi Sakurazaka
Screenplay: Christopher McQuarrie, Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth
Music: Christophe Beck
Cinematography: Dion Beebe
Editing: James Herbert

“Sworn Virgin” by Laura Bispuri (Italy, 2015)

man/woman/other…

Sworn Virgin

Interesting debut feature that tells the story of two women who escape “the gender-imposed hardships of their native culture,” [Godfrey Cheshire] one by fleeing an imposed marriage, the other by becoming a ‘sworn virgin,’ status that allows her to live her life like if she was a man, except for the fact that she may not have sex.

Cast: Alba Rohrwacher, Emily Ferratello, Lars Eidinger, Flonja Kodheli, Luan Jaha, Bruno Shllaku, Ilire Vinca Celaj
Director: Laura Bispuri
Writer: Elvira Dones
Writer: Laura Bispuri, Francesca Manieri
Cinematographer: Vladan Radovic
Editor: Carlotta Cristiani, Jacopo Quadri

“A Fantastic Woman” by Sebastian Lelio (Chile, 2017)

man/woman/other…

A fantastic woman

Strong message and gender/minorities representation, but static direction

Cast: Daniela Vega, Francisco Reyes, Luis Gnecco, Aline Küppenheim, Nicolás Saavedra
Director: Sebastián Lelio
Writer: Sebastián Lelio, Gonzalo Maza
Cinematographer: Benjamín Echazarreta
Editor: Soledad Salfate
Composer: Nani Garcia, Matthew Herbert

“Altered Perception” by Kate Rees Davies (USA, 2017)

first feature / cinema of substance

Altered Perception

With its strong but disturbing message, its unconventional camera work. and its very original script, this movie deserves a much more encouraging reaction, but it seems that few critics ventured to see it. Or is it because the pharmaceutical industry has been lobbying around? 🙂
Very original first feature in the trend “cinema-vérirté” / Nice team-work although at times awkwardly amateurish / Pity Kate Davies didn’t find it necessary to provide the viewer with a cinematic conclusion other than a few quotes from Forbes and Vanity Fair.

Cast:  Jon Huertas, Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Mark Burnham
Director: Kate Rees Davies
Writers: Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Jon Huertas, Travis Romero
Music by Randy Chance
Cinematography by Steve Romano
Film Editing by Jon Artigo, Vance Crofoot

“The Tale” by Jennifer Fox (USA, 2018)

first feature / cinema of substance

The Tale

An adult woman re-live her abuse childhood / Disturbing story put together in the way memories of past events come back to mind, pieces by pieces

Cast: Laura Dern, Isabelle Nélisse, Jason Ritter, Elizabeth Debicki, Ellen Burstyn, Common, John Heard
Director: Jennifer Fox
Writer: Jennifer Fox
Editor: Anne Fabini, Alex Hall, Gary Levy
Director of Photography: Ivan Strasburg, Denis Lenoir

“Jenny’s Wedding” by Mary Agnes Donoghue (USA, 2015)

Jenny's Wedding

A few surprising moments do not erase the accumulation of clichés in this coming-out-of-the-closet comedy, with love/marriage/children shown as the defining goals of a woman’s life!

Cast: Katherine Heigl, Tom Wilkinson, Linda Emond
Director: Mary Agnes Donoghue
Writer: Mary Agnes Donoghue
Music by Brian Byrne
Cinematography by Seamus Tierney
Film Editing by Éva Gárdos, Nick Moore