Cats and Keats
Hello, this is Thelma & Alice #10. Thanks for being here! I have some movie recommendations for you—but first, links . . .
I recently updated my list of 2021 releases that are either written or directed by women. There’s a lot of good stuff coming in the next couple of months, including a new Jane Campion film, as well as directorial debuts from Halle Berry and Rebecca Hall.
Over at The Common, I wrote about Through the Night, the documentary about overnight childcare that I recommended last month.
In local news, The Montclair Film Festival is happening right down the street from me at the end of this month. Most of their movies are in-person this year, but a few features and all of their short films are available in their virtual cinema, if you want to see some new filmmakers.
Finally, I’ve been cackling over Julie Delpy’s Netflix sitcom On The Verge, as well as her appearance on Marc Maron’s podcast WTF. I also enjoyed an interview with Agnieszka Holland (whose movies Mr. Jones and Spoor I recommended earlier this year) on the podcast Team Deakins.
That’s it for the links, here are the movies . . .
My Favorite Jane Campion
Bright Star (2009)
Written & Directed by Jane Campion
Streaming on Netflix
Jane Campion has a new film coming out on Netflix later this year, The Power of the Dog. In the lead-up to it, Netflix has put several of Campion’s older titles on its platform, including my personal favorite, Bright Star, which is about the love affair between Fanny Brawne and John Keats. When this movie came out in 2009, I thought it was the most romantic thing I’d ever seen, this side of In the Mood for Love. I rewatched it last week for the first time in over a decade and it still bowled me over, though not for the same reasons. I’m not quite as romantic as I was in 2009, but Bright Star still got to me because it shows how a deep love between two people can inspire everyone who witnesses it. Keats’s friends and Brawne’s family are all affected by John and Fanny’s devotion to each other, but in a larger sense, we have all felt the glow of their love through Keats’s poetry. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER
One for the Runners
McFarland, USA (2015)
Directed by Niki Caro
Written by Christopher Cleveland, Bettina Gilois, and Grant Thompson
VOD rental $3.99
This is a by-the-book sports movie starring Kevin Costner doing his gruff dad thing, but I’m recommending it because it gives an accurate and detailed portrait of cross-country running, a sport that doesn’t get much love in popular culture. Set in the late 1980s, Costner plays Jim White, a disgraced football coach whose temper gets him relocated to a tiny, economically depressed town in Central California, where the majority of the students are the children of Mexican-American farmers. When he sees that the students have running talent, he tries to get a team together, a project that requires him to actually get to know the kids and their families. It’s a little bit Hoosiers, a little bit Friday Night Lights, and a lot Disney. It’s a good family watch from the director of Whale Rider, and might even inspire you to sign up for a 5K. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER
Istanbul Through the Eyes of Seven Cats
Kedi (2016)
Directed by Ceyda Torun
Streaming on Kanopy
I’m a cat person. Maybe you are, too. But even if you aren’t, this documentary gives a lively, cat’s eye view of Istanbul, taking you through the city’s open-air markets and waterfronts. I’ve never been to Istanbul and now I’m dying to go, and not only for the cats. (This is another good family movie, btw.) IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER
A 2021 Debut You May Have Missed
Test Pattern (2021)
Written & Directed by Shatara Michelle Ford
Streaming on Starz (you can watch via a free one-week trial on Amazon)
VOD $3.99
I watched this movie earlier this year and I’ve been thinking of it lately in the wake of the new, highly restrictive abortion laws in Texas. Set in Austin, Texas, Test Pattern tells the story of a young woman, Renesha, who is trying to obtain a forensic examination after she’s been sexually assaulted during a girls’ night out. What should be a simple medical exam turns into an epic quest as Renesha and her boyfriend go from hospital to hospital, trying to find one that is properly staffed. Flashbacks show the couple in happier times, adding to the complexity of the story, and you root for them as they navigate a truly absurd healthcare system. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER
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Did you know this 1980s hit about a romance novelist was written by a woman?