Less Angst, More Barbie

My hopes for 2023 (and best of 2022)

Looking back on 2022, I don’t think it was such a great year for movies. Maybe that’s an odd thing to write in a newsletter devoted to film recommendations, but I felt like there were something very serious about this year’s offerings, with pandemic anxieties creeping into everything. For me, the best thing about last year’s movies was that I saw many of them on the big screen. In fact, almost all the movies on my “best of” list were ones that I watched in a theater, which makes me wonder if they seemed better because I devoted my full attention to them in a way that I don’t when I’m sitting on my couch with my phone nearby.

My ability to concentrate on movies at home has declined over the past few years. I could blame it on my kids and the fact that they are getting older and going to bed later, which leads to later start times, but I’m a night owl and watching a movie from 9-11 p.m. is good timing for me. I could blame it on the stress of the pandemic, and I think that may be a factor, but I’ve been making it worse by mindlessly scrolling on my phone after my kids go to bed. My New Year’s resolution is to give movies my full attention when I watch them at home. This means watching them from beginning to end, without pausing for snacks, or to check something on IMBD. I can wait until the end of the movie to find out the name of that actress!

In terms of female filmmakers, this felt like a pretty good year to me, so I was disappointed to learn that statistically, this year was about the same as other years, if not slightly worse. I think my point of view was skewed by the number of European movies that I saw this year, as well as independent films, which generally have more women behind the camera. (Though they are far from equitable.) On the plus side, there were a lot of promising debuts by women directors (Nikyatu Jusu, Mariama Diallo, Abi Damaris Corbin, Sara Dosa) and a good number of sophomore features (Lena Dunham, Olivia Newman, Olivia Wilde). It was also heartening to see accomplished mid-career directors like Sarah Polley and Gina Prince-Bythewood returning after a long hiatus.

At the same time, I felt like this was the second year in a row that women got stuck making a lot of “women’s movies” that were either about sexual assault or abortion. I’m thinking of films like She Said, Women Talking, Happening, Call Jane, The Janes. Even Catherine, Called Birdy, Lena Dunham’s medieval teen movie, had a lot to do with women’s reproductive health. That’s not to say these films shouldn’t be made, or that they aren’t well made, only that they are on the heavier side, and not as popular with audiences. When women directors are only given serious movies, it hardly seems fair when they get dinged for low box office numbers.

I’m making it sound as if women are assigned these films, but obviously, I don’t know what is going on behind the scenes. It’s possible these are all passion projects, but it seems more likely that these are the films that are getting funded, and women are tasked with directing them because they have to do with women’s issues. Maybe Hollywood studios feel that producing these kinds of “issue” films are a way to make up for the sexism of decades past. Or, maybe these stories have been sitting around forever and Hollywood is finally seeing their relevance . . . who knows? What I do know is that the internet went bonkers whenever anything leaked Greta Gerwig’s forthcoming Barbie. And I think I know why: because this movie looks like it might actually be fun!

I think moviegoers, perhaps especially female moviegoers, are desperate for something light-hearted. The past few years have not been easy. The planet is burning up! Women's rights have been taken away! Covid is still rampant, as well as flu, RSV, and a bunch of other random viruses now that we are all socializing again. Every parent I know is still stretched thin and dealing with the fallout of years of accumulated stress on their children. Seeing Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in coordinated fluorescent outfits was a much-needed break from all that.

So, let’s put 2022 to bed. Here are my favorite movies made by women, in no particular order. This is a very personal list; I wouldn’t describe these as “the best” movies of the year, more like the ones that I can vouch for. These are the movies that firmly held my attention, whether I was watching at home or in a theater, and stayed with me long after.

Fire of Love (2022)
Directed by Sara Dosa
1 hour 38 minutes; Streaming exclusively on Disney+ and Hulu

This documentary about husband-wife volcanologists, Katia and Maurice Krafft, is both informative, in the spirit of a nature documentary, and incredibly stylish. The Kraffts, who died in the field in 1991, left behind hundreds of hours of stunning footage, which director Sara Dosa uses to tell the story of the Kraffts’ romantic partnership, as well as their careers. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Both Sides of the Blade (2022)
Directed by Claire Denis
Written by Christine Angot and Claire Denis
1 hour 56 minutes; Streaming AMC+ or VOD $3.99

This one got its hooks in me. I haven’t stopped thinking about it since I saw it over the summer. It’s a love triangle plot, sort of, a melodramatic exploration of love, work, sex, and middle age. A must-see for Juliet Binoche fans. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

All the Beauty and the Bloodshed (2022) 
Directed by Laura Poitras
2 hours 2 minutes
In theaters now

A detailed and compassionate look into the life of fine arts photographer Nan Goldin, using photographs from Goldin’s archives as well as footage from Goldin’s recent work in activist circles. The documentary is framed as a story about Goldin’s protests against the Sackler Family, but Poitras goes much deeper, delving into Goldin’s childhood to reveal the people, places, and relationships that shaped her politics and artistic vision. I watched this at home and had no desire to check my phone or press pause. A totally absorbing, beautiful movie. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Happening (2022)
Directed by Audrey Diwan
Written by Marcia Romano and Audrey Diwan, based on the novel by Annie Ernaux
1 hour 40 minutes; Streaming AMC+ or VOD $3.99

Set in 1960s France, and based on Annie Ernaux’s autobiographical novel by the same name, Happening is about a college student, Anne, who must go to extreme lengths to end her unwanted pregnancy. Paced like a thriller, it is not the least bit didactic; instead, it simply shows what the stakes are for this young woman: why she needs to end her pregnancy, how difficult it is for her to find healthcare, and what the consequences will be if she’s caught. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

The Woman King (2022)
Directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
2 hours 15 minutes; In theaters (returning) and VOD $5.99

An old-fashioned epic with a huge cast, gorgeous sets and costumes, and stunning cinematography. It definitely glosses over the history, but was easily the most entertaining movie I saw this year. It’s returning to theaters in advance of the Oscars and definitely worth seeing on the big screen.  IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

She Said (2022)
Directed by Maria Schrader
Screenplay by Rebecca Lenkiewicz based on the book by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey
2 hours 9 minutes; Streaming on Peacock (VOD $19.99)

I went to see this dutifully, and came out of the theater invigorated. Even though I followed a lot of this reporting in real time, I still relished watching Carey Mulligan and Zooey Kazan play working mothers who methodically track down their sources. I’m not sure I’ve ever seen such a detailed portrait of working women on screen, and at heart I think this is not really a journalism movie, but a story about female ambition and the ways it can be supported or thwarted. IMDB *REVIEW * TRAILER

The Eternal Daughter (2022)
Written and Directed by Joanna Hogg
1 hour 36 minutes; In theaters and VOD $5.99

The third in an autobiographical trilogy, Hogg and Swinton collaborate again to explore themes of death, family, art, guilt, and the never-ending reverberations of war.  An eerie, moody, ghostly film with flashes of wit, if not merriment. Tilda is marvelous. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Turning Red (2022)
Directed by Domee Shi
Written by Julia Cho, Domee Shi, and Sarah Streicher
1 hour 40 minutes; Streaming on Disney+

My five-year-old daughter has probably watched this animated film ten times. I liked it when I first saw it, but wouldn’t have guessed I’d be thinking about it at the end of the year. I guess my daughter made me a fan. I get why she likes it—the animation style is cute and brightly colored, with girls who look and dress like actual pre-teens. The mother-daughter dynamic is also really well done—loving, but real. The funniest thing about this movie was that it caused my daughter to ask us if boy bands were “a real thing.” This question, of course, led to some excellent playlists. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER