I half-heartedly tried to do 52 films by women in 2018. I saw 42. I'm not going to post a lot on these, since quite a few were covered in my SFFilm Fest wrap up, and quite a few more will be on my best of '18 list.
35 Shots of Rum - Claire Denis; 4.5 stars. The first of several Denis films, thanks to SFFilm/SFMOMA's Modern Cinema series. It turns out I really love her work. I'm excited to see more.
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsey; 4.5 stars. One of the best of the year. The unfinished version won awards at Cannes, it was up for a ton at the Brit Indies and the Indies; of course it got no mainstream recognition.
I Can't Sleep - Claire Denis; 4.5 stars.
Madeline's Madeline - Josephine Decker; 4.5 stars. Another best of the year; up for Gothams and Indies.
Leave No Trace - Debra Granik; 4.5 stars. Why this didn't get the same reception Winter's Bone did; I'll never know. I love it so much. A top 10 Indie and breakthrough win at the National Board of Review, best director from the LA Critics, noms from the Gothams, Critics' Choice, Satellites, and Indies.
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni; 4.5 stars. Such an incredibly assured debut. It won best debut at the BAFTAs and had a bunch of Brit Indie noms last year, but it barely got a release here this year.
Skywards - Eva Weber; 4.5 stars (short). Pretty pigeons!
Revenge - Coralie Fargeat; 4.5 stars. So much blood!
73 Questions - Leah Nichols; 4.5 stars (short). Getting to know our neighbors here in SF.
Seine's Breath - Beathanie Montano; 4.5 stars (short). Wow - I do not remember thinking so highly of this one! An animated short about a famous Jane Doe.
Free Solo - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; Jimmy Chin; 4.5 stars. I still need to see Hale County, but so far, I'm rooting for this one at the Oscars.
White Material - Claire Denis; 4 stars
The Rider - Chloe Zhao; 4 stars. I love this film so much.
The Intruder - Claire Denis; 4 stars.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Desiree Akhavan; 4 stars. (Apparently) the better of the two films this year exploring gay conversion therapy.
Angels Wear White - Vivian Qu; 4 stars. A heartbreaking film of corruption and sexual abuse in China as experienced by two young girls.
Purge This Land - Lee Anne Schmitt; 4 stars. A fascinating experimental film about the history of John Brown race riots in the US. Winner of the LA Film Critics Experimental award last year. (Excerpt)
Suleiman Mountain - Elizaveta Stishova; 4 stars. A family of con artists traveling through Kyrgyzstan.
Crisanto Street - Paloma Martinez; 4 stars. (short) A look at the housing crisis in the bay area, focusing on eight-year-old Geovany.
Graven Image - Sierra Pettengill; 4 stars. (short) The history of the largest confederate monument, Stone Mountain.
Pariah - Dee Rees; 3.5 stars. A sweet coming of age story about an African-American lesbian.
Shirkers - Sandi Tan; 3.5 stars. In documentary contention this year; the story of an early Singaporean indie film that was never finished and the mystery of what happened.
The Sower - Marine Francen; 3.5 stars. Sweet period romance.
The Other Side of Everything - Mila Turajlić; 3.5 stars. A really interesting family portrait of the director's mother, Srbijanka Turajlić, a pre-democracy activist in Serbia. Does a really good job of blending the personal with the historic.
While I Yet Live - Maris Curran; 3.5 stars. (short) A look at African-American quilters in Alabama.
Yes, God, Yes - Karen Maine; 3.5 stars (short).
Mahogany Too - Akosua Adoma Owusu; 3.5 stars. (short) A riff on the 1975 film Mahogany.
Duck, Death and the Tulip - Ella Yoon; Jorge Sandoval; 3 stars (short). I like the animation style.
Lucia, Before and After - Anu Valia; 3 stars (short). This won the short film competition at Sundance, but I didn't quite love it. I like Sarah Goldberg in Barry.
Come Swim - Kristen Stewart; 3 stars (short). Some nice images, but does feel like a debut. She might make a good music video director.
Set It Up - Claire Scanlon; 3 stars. Rom coms aren't really my thing, but Zoey Deutch is very charming in this. Glen Powell was better in Everybody Wants Some!!
Mary, Queen of Scots - Josie Rourke; 2.5 stars. Josie! You're such a brilliant theatre director! What happened here?! (James McArdle's hair is, however, *hilarious*)
The Inland Road - Jackie Van Beek; 2.5 stars. An indie film from NZ that fell victim to some tropes.
La Nuit je Mens - Aurélia Morali; 2.5 stars (short)
Marty - Kate McLean; Mario Furloni; 2.5 stars (short)
Drop by Drop - Laura Gonçalves, Alexandra Ramires; 2.5 stars (short)
Pussy - Renata Gąsiorowska; 2.5 stars (short). This was up for a ton of festival awards. To each their own.
Le Petit Mort - Elizabeth Jaeleigh Davis; 2 stars (short)
Kiss Kiss Fingerbang - Gillian Wallace Horvat; 2 stars (short)
Freedom - Kathrin Steinbacher; 2 stars (short)
Meeting MacGuffin - Catya Plate; 2 stars (short). This might be good on drugs. Just gonna leave the description here; "In a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has fallen apart, a group of scientists and an animated sign complete the construction of a new human race and meet a groundhog climatologist who prepares them for their mission to restore balance to the decimated Earth."
Oh Hi Anne - Anne McGuire; 1.5 stars (short). An ode to the underground filmmakers George and Mike Kuchar; illustrating voicemails with MS Paint. Not my cup of tea.
35 Shots of Rum - Claire Denis; 4.5 stars. The first of several Denis films, thanks to SFFilm/SFMOMA's Modern Cinema series. It turns out I really love her work. I'm excited to see more.
You Were Never Really Here - Lynne Ramsey; 4.5 stars. One of the best of the year. The unfinished version won awards at Cannes, it was up for a ton at the Brit Indies and the Indies; of course it got no mainstream recognition.
I Can't Sleep - Claire Denis; 4.5 stars.
Madeline's Madeline - Josephine Decker; 4.5 stars. Another best of the year; up for Gothams and Indies.
Leave No Trace - Debra Granik; 4.5 stars. Why this didn't get the same reception Winter's Bone did; I'll never know. I love it so much. A top 10 Indie and breakthrough win at the National Board of Review, best director from the LA Critics, noms from the Gothams, Critics' Choice, Satellites, and Indies.
I Am Not A Witch - Rungano Nyoni; 4.5 stars. Such an incredibly assured debut. It won best debut at the BAFTAs and had a bunch of Brit Indie noms last year, but it barely got a release here this year.
Skywards - Eva Weber; 4.5 stars (short). Pretty pigeons!
Revenge - Coralie Fargeat; 4.5 stars. So much blood!
73 Questions - Leah Nichols; 4.5 stars (short). Getting to know our neighbors here in SF.
Seine's Breath - Beathanie Montano; 4.5 stars (short). Wow - I do not remember thinking so highly of this one! An animated short about a famous Jane Doe.
Free Solo - Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi; Jimmy Chin; 4.5 stars. I still need to see Hale County, but so far, I'm rooting for this one at the Oscars.
White Material - Claire Denis; 4 stars
The Rider - Chloe Zhao; 4 stars. I love this film so much.
The Intruder - Claire Denis; 4 stars.
The Miseducation of Cameron Post - Desiree Akhavan; 4 stars. (Apparently) the better of the two films this year exploring gay conversion therapy.
Angels Wear White - Vivian Qu; 4 stars. A heartbreaking film of corruption and sexual abuse in China as experienced by two young girls.
Purge This Land - Lee Anne Schmitt; 4 stars. A fascinating experimental film about the history of John Brown race riots in the US. Winner of the LA Film Critics Experimental award last year. (Excerpt)
Suleiman Mountain - Elizaveta Stishova; 4 stars. A family of con artists traveling through Kyrgyzstan.
Crisanto Street - Paloma Martinez; 4 stars. (short) A look at the housing crisis in the bay area, focusing on eight-year-old Geovany.
Graven Image - Sierra Pettengill; 4 stars. (short) The history of the largest confederate monument, Stone Mountain.
Pariah - Dee Rees; 3.5 stars. A sweet coming of age story about an African-American lesbian.
Shirkers - Sandi Tan; 3.5 stars. In documentary contention this year; the story of an early Singaporean indie film that was never finished and the mystery of what happened.
The Sower - Marine Francen; 3.5 stars. Sweet period romance.
The Other Side of Everything - Mila Turajlić; 3.5 stars. A really interesting family portrait of the director's mother, Srbijanka Turajlić, a pre-democracy activist in Serbia. Does a really good job of blending the personal with the historic.
While I Yet Live - Maris Curran; 3.5 stars. (short) A look at African-American quilters in Alabama.
Yes, God, Yes - Karen Maine; 3.5 stars (short).
Mahogany Too - Akosua Adoma Owusu; 3.5 stars. (short) A riff on the 1975 film Mahogany.
Duck, Death and the Tulip - Ella Yoon; Jorge Sandoval; 3 stars (short). I like the animation style.
Lucia, Before and After - Anu Valia; 3 stars (short). This won the short film competition at Sundance, but I didn't quite love it. I like Sarah Goldberg in Barry.
Come Swim - Kristen Stewart; 3 stars (short). Some nice images, but does feel like a debut. She might make a good music video director.
Set It Up - Claire Scanlon; 3 stars. Rom coms aren't really my thing, but Zoey Deutch is very charming in this. Glen Powell was better in Everybody Wants Some!!
Mary, Queen of Scots - Josie Rourke; 2.5 stars. Josie! You're such a brilliant theatre director! What happened here?! (James McArdle's hair is, however, *hilarious*)
The Inland Road - Jackie Van Beek; 2.5 stars. An indie film from NZ that fell victim to some tropes.
La Nuit je Mens - Aurélia Morali; 2.5 stars (short)
Marty - Kate McLean; Mario Furloni; 2.5 stars (short)
Drop by Drop - Laura Gonçalves, Alexandra Ramires; 2.5 stars (short)
Pussy - Renata Gąsiorowska; 2.5 stars (short). This was up for a ton of festival awards. To each their own.
Le Petit Mort - Elizabeth Jaeleigh Davis; 2 stars (short)
Kiss Kiss Fingerbang - Gillian Wallace Horvat; 2 stars (short)
Freedom - Kathrin Steinbacher; 2 stars (short)
Meeting MacGuffin - Catya Plate; 2 stars (short). This might be good on drugs. Just gonna leave the description here; "In a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has fallen apart, a group of scientists and an animated sign complete the construction of a new human race and meet a groundhog climatologist who prepares them for their mission to restore balance to the decimated Earth."
Oh Hi Anne - Anne McGuire; 1.5 stars (short). An ode to the underground filmmakers George and Mike Kuchar; illustrating voicemails with MS Paint. Not my cup of tea.
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