Women-Directed Films to Watch
More than a century on from the birth of Hollywood, women directors are still waiting to get their due. While awards bodies have long overlooked their achievements and studios have been reluctant to fund their projects in the years past, you can slowly but surely see how female directors are cracking the glass ceiling - one film at a time. From Hollywood blockbusters to thrilling debuts, while you make one of your final watchlists this year, be sure to add movies that are sure to make a mark by up-and-coming female directors.
Blink Twice by Zoë Kravitz
Blink Twice
Zoë Kravitz makes her long-awaited directorial debut with this spine-chilling whodunnit. Naomi Ackie leads, playing a young waitress who is infatuated with a mysterious tech magnate (Channing Tatum) and follows him to his private island for the weekend. Horror ensues when her travel companion disappears and the whole island is thrown into a murder mystery from hell. Be sure to expect twists and turns all brought to life by an all-star cast.
Catch Blink Twice on Amazon Prime Video
Lee by Ellen Kuras
Lee
Kate Winslet plays the valiant American model-turned-war-photojournalist Lee Miller in this moving biopic. The feature debut from director Ellen Kuras, which took eight years to make is based on The Lives Of Lee Miller, a 1985 book by her son, Antony Penrose, it reframes the oft-touted perception of Miller. Lee Miller was mostly known only for her encounters with men but Winslet, under Kuras’ direction depicts a powerful middle-aged flawed woman who went to war and photographed it! Look out for Marion Cotillard, Andrea Riseborough, Andy Samberg, Josh O’Connor and Alexander Skarsgård in supporting roles.
Watch Lee on Apple TV+
The Substance by Coralie Fargeat
The Substance
Every once in a while, a film comes along that is so close to home, that it’s difficult to ignore. This is it. Demi Moore leads a cast including Margaret Qualley and Dennis Quaid in The Substance, a Kubrick-esque horror, unpicking the price we pay for eternal beauty and the lengths people will go to to achieve it. The movie had a riotous reception when it was shown at the Cannes Film Festival and MAMI (much more recently), so expect brilliant, yet twisted things from this nightmarish project.
Watch The Substance on Mubi
The Outrun by Nora Fingscheidt
The Outrun
Saoirse Ronan and Paapa Essiedu are two of the most lauded actors right now, which is why The Outrun is already dominating awards-season sweepstakes. Based on Amy Liptrot’s memoir of the same name, the film sees Ronan tackle the complex role of a young woman grappling with her troubled past and substance addiction, while Essiedu gives a tipping-point performance as her companion. With director Nora Fingscheidt at the helm, it has all the hallmarks of a future classic.
Watch The Outrun on Apple TV+
