Here’s to the Ladies Who Write
SIGHTSEERS | Alice Lowe, Steve Oram, and Amy Jump
It’d be a crime to tell you anything about this film other than how much of a genius little black comedy it is. Alice Lowe and Steve Oram are a team to be reckoned with, with their dialogue and delivery making the jokes pop just as much as the violence featured in the film. I can’t even begin to say how many times the film got me to actually laugh out loud at the way scenes were executed and so much of it is a testament to how sharp the writing is. Jump may only be credited with additional material for this film, but she’s worth mentioning due to the fact that she always works with director Ben Wheatley and also co-edited the film. I feel like I should also totally give a shout out to Laurie Rose’s excellent work as DP, but there’s time for that later.
A FIELD IN ENGLAND | Amy Jump & Ben Wheatley
And later is now. Two of Ben Wheatley’s films this year have made it onto this list because of the woman that works on his projects and make them the amazing pieces of art that they are. Again: Laurie Rose’s B&W cinematography is breathtaking (even more so than the former film), but this piece is foremost about the writing. There are so few modern films that really get the classic psychedelic vibe down just right, but Jump and Wheatley do it brilliantly. It’s layered and well-deserving of a rewatch, every minute encouraging one to dive deeper into the insanity.
THE EAST | Brit Marling & Zal Batmanglij
I’ve talked about my adoration for Marling as a rising writer-actress before, and after a solid start with their former work Sound of My Voice, Batmanglij and her really come into their own with this one. There aren’t nearly enough political thrillers with a female in the lead role, as women so rarely are given a chance to shine as the smart secret agents. Marling, in both acting and writing, gives her character more depth and emotional range than most spies get, actually presenting a conflicted character rather than just someone who kicks ass and takes names.
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Great feature! I can’t believe I left out any mention of the writer in my review of Tabu. Shame on me.
There was a good film from Kenya, Something Necessary (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2400272/), directed by Judy Kibinge. It was broadcast on MUBI on the day of Kenyan nationwide elections.
I wasn’t totally into writer-director Sara Johnsen’s 2012 feature Uskyld (All That Matters is Past, http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2188723/), but I appreciated the acting, aim, and aspects of the atmosphere like the treatment of nature and naturalistic nudity.
The new Hobbit trilogy might not be as great as LOTR, but we can’t forget cowriters Fran Walsh and Philippa Boyens.
I actually know about Lake Bell because of How To Make It In America and I liked her a lot in the second season. I dunno when I’ll ever see her film, but I really want to see it.
The Bling Ring was hit-and-miss for me, but the interview with Emma Watson’s character worked well for me near the end of the film.
Admission was disappointing (still on my Bottom 5 2013 ranking), but I didn’t hate The Heat. I’ll admit it got off to a rough start, but it got better halfway through (I’d give it a 3/5 rating).
Also, why are we counting Frances Ha, Sightseers Before Midnight? Haven’t seen them yet (Before Midnight is something I really wanna see on the big screen, but I’ll settle down for copy/online if this doesn’t hit the cinema by Christmas), but they include male writers. Or you’re counting any films as long as one woman is involved with the writing.
@Rodrigo, well I’m counting them because I think it’d be ridiculous to completely disregard a film with a female writer (some of which are very heavy in their female presence with terms of character and story) just because there’s also a man involved (or even two men). I feel like all of the examples I use are pretty fair cases. Frances Ha has a really clear and overwhelming female experience that cannot be changed, Before Midnight would not be the same without Delpy’s presence, and Sightseers has two main characters (one male, one female) who both wrote the film together so that’s a pretty clear indicator of the fact that she’s important to the script.
@Juan Barquin, Sorry if I sounded like a dick in my previous comment. I’m not against the films by any means. But I can imagine if you went for a “female-written only, no guys involved” criteria, it’d be a lot harder to pull this one off given availability reasons.
To add films for your task… “Bastards (2013)” and “Blue is the Warmest Color” should count, unless I’m mistaken.
@Rodrigo, Yeah, the limitations of the task are obnoxious because there SHOULD be hundreds more films written by women and you also have to factor in the bad ones. Just like men have their off films, women do too. Bastards and Blue would definitely count in the bunch but considering they’ve literally only had festival runs, I wasn’t planning on tossing ’em in. What I MIGHT do is a follow-up piece to this eventually with some more movies. Or maybe just something focused solely on female directors rather than writers (while also trying not to overlap with the ones already featured here).
@Juan Barquin, You could also add female tv writers. That could easily amplify your field for praising women.