Though American Honey took home the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, our Cannes correspondent Elena Lazic found it cliched and problematic — a disappointment from the very talented Arnold.
Directed by Women
Explore films by directors who identify as women.
Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation doesn’t stick the landing
Karyn Kusama’s The Invitation is a variation on the “dinner party from hell” film: is our protagonist paranoid, or are they really out to get him?
Chantal Akerman’s final film No Home Movie is a heartbreaking personal essay
Chantal Akerman’s moving cinematic essay is a tribute to her mother, a holocaust survivor, and a subtle exploration of Jewish “suitcase-ready” culture.
Standing Tall is a gritty coming-of-ager told through rose-coloured glasses
Emmanuelle Bercot’s sophomore film is the story of Malony (Rod Paradot), a teenager prone to crime, and the justice system which only wants the best for him.
The politics of sisterhood in Mustang
Mustang, Deniz Gamze Ergüven’s directorial debut, charts five sisters’ resistance, as they both grow into and reject a narrow notion of womanhood. But Ergüven privileges perspectives that a Western audience can understand and approve of, making the story too familiar and incomplete.
Things to Come is a less damning portrait of misfortune than Eden
Berlinale correspondent Elena Lazic examines how Mia Hansen-Løve’s last two films, Eden and L’Avenir (Things to Come), reverse-engineer seemingly cliched stories in order to find the emotional truth and realism buried within them.