So, I'm reorganizing my 2016 female director list. I've recently seen a few more, and this is the plan: I'll put the top sixteen in the original post, and this post will contain the overflow. Hope this doesn't completely wreck the conversational flow! (If you're looking for Cameraperson, it's now in the original post.)



Karyn Kusama: The Invitation is a strange little film. I almost couldn't sit through the beginning, as the characters (supposedly old friends) stare awkwardly at each other. Are they first-time actors? No. Maybe it's improv with no character prep? Or, mumblecore with people who aren't just acting stupid? But, as the plot gradually gels, Kusama manages to pull me in with small, ominous touches and some really great, atmospheric flashbacks and music and unbalanced emotion. It's a very slow burn, but with a truly gut-wrenching payoff.

Kelly Fremon Craig: A promising first feature, The Edge of Seventeen updates the teen drama with cell phones, cynicism, and clever casting. Craig gives her protagonist plenty of room to be absolutely insufferable, yet somehow keeps her just sympathetic enough. Besides the extra darkness, there are some surprising turns, but the ending is pure John Hughes (which isn't a bad thing, I suppose).

Laurie Anderson: Heart of a Dog (pictured above) is as gently thoughtful and entertaining as you'd expect from Laurie Anderson. Her scrapbook-style layers of photos (and sound) reminded me of Guy Maddin at times.

Ava DuVernay: 13th—DuVernay’s info-packed documentary about America’s sorry racial history—tears along at an entertaining, even overwhelming pace. It’s stylish and timely, no doubt; I just wish it had been a bit more scrupulous, less willing to risk false impressions to make emotional points. As this year’s other big race documentary* showed, the facts are plenty powerful enough on their own.

*Peck’s I Am Not Your Negro

One more female director from last year...

I really enjoyed Dear Zindagi. SRK makes an adorable eccentric psychologist, and Alia Bhatt is ridiculously watchable, whether she's throwing a tantrum or falling asleep! Being extremely beautiful helps, of course, haha. The psychology may be a bit movie-simple, but it felt real to me. The process was right. Thought it was fun the way Shinde pays tribute to the musical with story elements (filming a video, boyfriend who's a musician) while sticking to a more indie style. Maybe that's typical? Anyway, I guess I should see English Vinglish now.




So, I edited the original Women of 2016 post to show my favorite 16 and link to the rest. The project is really done now, I think! (I know. I said that before.) But, as always, if you find something good I missed, I’ll do my best to see it.

In and around my attempts to see everything by women from last year, I've seen a lot of other good stuff, too. I was really impressed with Silence, for example, but it will take a rewatch (or, possibly a novel-reading) to have anything to sensible to say about that one. But, before it's too late, I need to get something down about I Am Not Your Negro. I've talked about James Baldwin in the literature thread; he's one of my favorite people ever. So, it's high praise when I say I sense the same kind of student-fan in Raoul Peck. He's made a (not surprisingly) timely documentary, exposing an unfinished work of Baldwin's to a broader audience, many of whom were probably unaware of his importance. And it's effective! A big part of this is just knowing when to get out of the way. If you have Baldwin's words, you're already ahead. But Peck doesn't stop there, he adds context with some terrific interview footage. Samuel Jackson deserves credit, too; there's no dissonance as we jump between Baldwin's actual voice and the Jackson narration. It's all very well put-together, and I admire Peck's restraint at times when others would be tempted to aim for the rafters. There's no need here. Baldwin is the the most persuasive of persuaders, and the more who hear (and read) him, the better!