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Regarding plot, there isn’t much to summarize in Chantal Akerman’s Je Tu Il Elle (1974). In the Belgian director’s second feature-length film, the principal character “Julie” (played by Akerman herself) spends a month in voluntary isolation before hitchhiking with a truck driver (Niels Arestrup) and finally visiting her ex-girlfriend (Claire Wauthion). If the camera dedicates a full five minutes to a scene in which Julie and the driver drink their beers and smoke cigarettes in silence, why do I need to keep my eyes on the screen? What will I miss in the seconds that I turn away?
Olivia is a particularly beautiful watch. Within lavish costumes, bedrooms, and ballrooms, the story is surprisingly intimate.
When someone considers whether to watch a film at the theaters, it’s standard practice to Google search the movie name and look at reviews. Reading the film’s summary and the reviewer’s feelings are usually enough to tip the balance on whether or not to purchase a ticket. However, these reviews are often not gender-balanced.
Director Dorothy Arzner was the only female director in Hollywood’s Golden Age. According to IMDb, from 1928 to 1943, she directed 20 films.
Turner Classic Movies (TCM) will premiere the lauded 14-part documentary Women Make Film, introducing weekly episodes from the series beginning on the television channel TCM September 1, 2020, at 8 pm EST and subsequent Tuesdays through December 1, 2020.
The Black Harvest Film Festival, hosted by the Gene Siskel Film Center in Chicago, should be starting in August. But, due to COVID-19, the festival will be virtual from November 6 through November 30. The festival, annual since 1994, recognizes independent films of international Black cultures. Director of Programming and cofounder of BHFF Barbara Scharres […]