renhir (visual) movie rating
The friendship between two young women living in New York
Cast: Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Liev Schreiber, Todd Field, Joseph Siravo
Written and Directed by Nicole Holofcener
Music by Billy Bragg
Cinematography by Michael Spiller
Film Editing by Alisa Lepselter
Great nature and wild life / Text and humor fall sometimes flat
Lea Pool’s distinguishing feature: a strong mother-child relationship and two absent fathers
Cast: Marc Donato, William Hurt, Pascale Bussières
Director: Léa Pool
Writer: Pete McCormack
Music by Stephen Endelman
Cinematography by Pierre Mignot
Film Editing by Michel Arcand
As in her preceding movie, a woman acts according to her convictions, which leads her to sacrifice everything
Many scenes possess a mysterious appeal / Armstrong uses surprising angles and unexpected approaches to engage the viewer into discovering the scene’s purpose / Reminds me often of Orson Welles
Cast: Diane Keaton, Mel Gibson, Matthew Modine
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Writer: Ron Nyswaner
Music by Mark Isham
Cinematography by Russell Boyd
Film Editing by Nicholas Beauman
At times funny but a pointless setup and a very weak emotional content
Disappointing second feature
Cast: Lana Condor, Noah Centineo, Israel Broussard, Janel Parrish, John Corbett, Anna Cathcart, Madeleine Arthur, Emilija Baranac
Director: Susan Johnson
Novel: Jenny Han
Music by Joe Wong
Cinematography by Michael Fimognari
Film Editing by Phillip J. Bartell, Joe Klotz
“a hymn to teenage idealism and hormones” (Roger Ebert)
The usual Lea Pool’s family situations – difficult but crucial mother-daughter relationships and absent fathers – play a role in the background
Cast: Piper Perabo, Jessica Pare, Jackie Burroughs
Directed by Lea Pool
Written by Judith Thompson
Music by Robyn Schulkowsky
Cinematography by Jeanne Lapoirie
Film Editing by Michel Arcand
The story of a woman who wants to live her life as she intends it, without taking into account social (colonial Victorian) conventions
“It’s hard to imagine a film filled with more quiet integrity, intelligent passion, realistic drama and genuine entertainment than Gillian Armstrong’s My Brilliant Career.” Michael Blowen from the Boston Globe
Cast: Judy Davis, Sam Neill, Wendy Hughes
Director: Gillian Armstrong
Writers: Miles Franklin, Eleanor Witcombe
Music by Nathan Waks
Cinematography by Donald McAlpine
Film Editing by Nicholas Beauman
Women are not to be defined by men. That’s the thread binding the 3 movies Al-Mansour has made until now. From her Saudi Arabian Wadjda, to her British Mary Shelley, to her U.S. Nappily Ever After. Although the latter is the lightest of them all, it is the most accomplished in terms of social engagement.
It is further worth noting how easily and rapidly Al-Mansour adapts herself to new contexts, without choosing the easy way: from Saudi Arabia to Shelley’s 19th-century England to the very particular linguistic and social context of Black Americans.
Remarkable also is the way she uses an item around which she builds her message about gender inequalities: a bicycle in Wadjda, writing a book in Mary Shelley, hair in Nappily Ever After.
I am wondering what will come next…
Cast: Sanaa Lathan, Ricky Whittle, Ernie Hudson, Camille Guaty, Lyriq Bent
Director: Haifaa Al-Mansour
Writer: Adam Brooks, Cee Marcellus
based on the novel “Nappily Ever After” by Trisha R. Thomas
Cinematographer: Alar Kivilo
Editor: Jay Deuby
Composer: Lesley Barber
