This weekend, SFIFF showcased a variety of good films by female directors from around the world, tackling stories as diverse as the inner-workings of The New Yorker cartoon department (Very Semi-Serious), fidelity in romantic relationships (Fidelio: Alice’s Odyssey), and the sometimes fraught relationship between mothers and their children (Goodnight Mommy and The Second Mother).
Advantageous director Jennifer Phang talks bringing feminist sci-fi to the screen
Writer-director Jennifer Phang’s Netflix film Advantageous is a feminist science fiction film for lovers of French New Wave cinema and intimate family dramas. It deals with issues of race, motherhood, and economic hardship.
Far From the Madding Crowd is a modern romance
Thomas Vinterberg’s film adaptation of Far From The Madding Crowd opens on a long shot of Bathsheba Everdene (a terrific Carey Mulligan) opening the door to a dark barn. Illuminated by just a glimmer of light, she’s dressed sensibly in a leather coat and trousers, readying her horse. In voiceover, she explains that some say she’s […]
Docs Iris and Best of Enemies delight and educate
Opening weekend of the San Francisco International Film Festival featured a wide range of documentaries, from the delightful and impressive Iris to the educational if somewhat disappointing Best of Enemies. Here’s a look at these two films. Iris **** Master documentarian Albert Maysle’s final film is an introduction to the lively, fashionable, and fabulous 93-year-old New York […]
Weekend 1 at SFIFF: Mr. Holmes, Entertainment, and Sand Dollars
Set in the Dominican Republic, Sand Dollars follows a local twenty-something Noeli (Yanet Mojica) who makes her living by sleeping with the rich European tourists.
Maxime Giroux on his wonderful Hasidic Jew romance Felix and Meira
Maxime Giroux discusses his new film about a Hasidic Jewish woman in Montreal who is thinking about leaving her community. It won Best Canadian Film at TIFF 2014.