Roberta, Annie, Cheryl, Ragga & Arthur

They're all searching for something elusive

It feels like summer is really here as the days streeeeetch out toward solstice. To celebrate the season, I re-watched Dirty Dancing, which, don’t forget, is written by a woman, Eleanor Bergstein. I also learned that there is a sequel in the works, starring Jennifer Grey. Last year’s strikes delayed production, but it is now slated for release next summer. 

My picks this month are all on the quirky/indie side, maybe because I’ve been leaning on Kanopy and the library. I hope you find something to match your mood. Please be sure to check out the links below, which include a chance to win an advance copy of my forthcoming novel. Thanks for reading!

Classic NYC Comedy

Desperately Seeking Susan (1985)
Directed by Susan Seidelman
Written by Leora Barish
1 hour 44 minutes; streaming on Amazon Prime

I wasn’t allowed to see this movie when it first came out, and I really wanted to! I’m not sure why it was forbidden, or why I waited so long to seek it out. It’s a screwball comedy about Roberta Glass (Roseanna Arquette), a New Jersey housewife who becomes fascinated by Susan (Madonna), a free spirit living in downtown NYC. Through an exchange of clothing, Roberta is mistaken for Susan and becomes entangled in her life. Taken literally, the movie is a farce, and plenty enjoyable as that, but I think there is a symbolic meaning that runs deeper: it’s the story of a woman who is becoming conscious of her true desires and exploring another side of her personality. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Annie Ernaux’s Home Movies

The Super 8 Years (2022)
Directed by Annie Ernaux and David Ernaux-Briot
Written by Annie Ernaux
1 hour 3 minutes; Streaming on Kanopy

French novelist Annie Ernaux looks back on a decade of home movies, a record of her years as a young mother and wife–a private life that was ultimately fractured by her books and the public acclaim that followed. If you’ve read Ernaux’s memoirs and autobiographical novels, it’s fascinating to see the people and places she has described in her writing. Ernaux narrates the footage, looking back on the past with wistfulness and curiosity. She knows she’s not there anymore, and can’t fully remember what it was like. Nor can the people in the movies understand the future ahead. This documentary is an excellent companion to her writing, but I don’t think it would work well as an introduction to her work, so maybe read a few of her books first (they’re short and bracing) and then check it out. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

90s Time Capsule

The Watermelon Woman (1997)
Written and Directed by Cheryl Dunye
1 hour 25 minutes; Streaming on Max, Criterion, and Kanopy

I went into this indie film not knowing much about it, except that it is regarded as a landmark of queer cinema, the first feature directed by a Black lesbian filmmaker. I hesitate to give away too much of its premise, because I think it’s more fun to just jump into this movie and see what it has in store for you. Writer and director Cheryl Dunye plays with the line between documentary and narrative film, mixing traditional documentary footage (talking heads, man-on-the street interviews, archival footage) with slice-of-life scripted scenes that have the feel of early episodes of Sex and the City or Girls. It’s very low budget and as you’ll see in the trailer below, Dunye narrates the movie, describing her process as she goes. She’s on a quest to find out more about a Black actress from 1930s movies. But she’s also a twentysomething woman, trying to date, hold down a job, and make it as an artist. Set in Philadelphia, it’s a portrait of a city that doesn’t get enough screen time. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Save the Elves! 

The Seer and the Unseen (2019)
Directed by Sara Dosa
Written by Bryndis Ingvarsdóttir
1 hour 20 minutes; Streaming on Tubi, Ovid, Kanopy

This is a somewhat odd documentary about an Icelandic grandmother, Ragnhildur (“Ragga”) who can see and speak to elves. The documentarians do not interrogate Ragga’s belief in an unseen mystical world, and this will probably be annoying to some viewers. But this is not a movie about whether or not elves are real; instead it follows Ragga on her crusade to protect a lava field, which she believes is home to a thriving elf community. Interwoven with this episode of activism is the larger story of how Iceland’s landscape was affected by the overheated markets leading up to the 2008-9 crash, and how the country is still reeling from the economic depression that followed. The implicit argument is that overzealous belief in the vitality of financial markets is no less fanciful–and a great deal more destructive–than the idea that certain landscapes are enchanted and need protection. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

Italian Treasure

La Chimera (2024)
Directed by Alice Rohrwacher
Written by Alice Rohrwacher, Carmela Covino, Marco Pettenello
2 hours 10 minutes; VOD $5.99

Josh O’Connor–who you may know from Challengers or The Crown–stars as a washed-up thief who has a sixth sense for finding Etruscan treasure. He’s fresh out of prison, and haunted by the death of his young wife. He can’t decide if he wants to return to his merry band of grave robbers but it doesn’t seem as if he has a lot of other options. His mother-in-law lives in a broken down mansion attended to by a quirky Miranda July-ish young woman who has two secret children stowed away on another floor. This highly original movie is beautifully shot with images that seemed, at least to me, to come straight from dream world. Fellini is obviously an influence but this movie is doing its own funny, melancholy thing. IMDB * REVIEW * TRAILER

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❤️ Link Love  ❤️

A 2022 interview with Susan Seidelman, reflecting on Desperately Seeking Susan. 

I didn’t really like The Idea of You, but this essay helped me to see some psychological depth that I missed. 

An interview with Nancy Meyers. She looks back on her career, favorite movies, and dishes on why Netflix dropped her new movie (which sounds great!) eight weeks into production. 

Cheryl Dunye’s Criterion Closet Picks

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My novel, We Were Pretending, is available for preorder. I’m also giving away five paper galleys and five digital galleys (via NetGalley) to the first ten people who respond to this newsletter. You don’t have to say anything other than “hi!” Let me know your preference for digital or paper. If it’s paper, please send your address. (Also, if you are located outside the U.S. I can only send a digital copy, sorry!)