Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Writer, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Netflix, Women in Film

Passing: NYFF 2021 Review

Year: 2021 Runtime: 98 minutes Director: Rebecca Hall Writers: Rebecca Hall, Nella Larsen (novella) Actors: Tessa Thompson, Ruth Negga, Andre Holland, Alexander Skrasgard, Bill Camp By Tom Moore Rebecca Hall’s feature directorial debut touches on a unique story on “racial passing” through excellent performances and depictions that burrow into your mind with “Passing” (2021). “Passing”, which is based on the 1929 novel of the same … Continue reading Passing: NYFF 2021 Review

Tom MooreOctober 10, 2021October 9, 2021Leave a comment

Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Film Festivals, Film Reviews, Indie Film, Reviews, Women in Film

Sundance Review: “Passing”

Based on the 1929 novella of the same name, “Passing” (2021) is a look at racial identity, gender, sexuality, and class. The film follows childhood friends Irene (Tessa Thompson) and Clare (Ruth Negga) who reconnect later in life. Irene lives her life as a Black woman and passes as white from time to time for convenience. Clare, however, has chosen live life as a white woman, likely continuing to do so due to her husband John’s (Alexander Skarsgård) racist viewpoint. Hence, the title “Passing.” Continue reading Sundance Review: “Passing”

msmlrobertsFebruary 8, 2021February 11, 2021Leave a comment

Female Characters, Female Filmmaker, Female Filmmakers, Female Writer, Reviews, Women in Film

ITOL 2019 Round-up: Little Woods

“Little Woods” isn’t a perfect film, but it certainly is an indication that Nia DaCosta is a director to keep our eye on. While it has much to say about the United States that is particularly relevant, it is also a movie about the lengths that sisters will go to for each other. If you’re looking to catch up on some films in 2019 that were overlooked, “Little Woods” is a great place to start. Continue reading ITOL 2019 Round-up: Little Woods

Nicole AckmanDecember 31, 2019Leave a comment

Female Filmmaker, Film Reviews, Reviews, Top 50 of the Decade, Women in Film

ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 9: Selma

Director Ava DuVernay has, over this last decade, established herself as one of the most important filmmakers in the business, thanks to her incomparable body of work across mediums: from her shocking and vital documentary “13th” on the perpetuation of slavery in the US to the powerful, sensitively constructed series “When They See Us” about the wrongly convicted suspects in the 1989 Central Park Jogger case.

Of all of her work over the last ten years, “Selma” is DuVernay’s very best. The film describes the events leading up to and including the 1965 marches from Selma, Alabama to the state’s capital, Montgomery, conducted by Martin Luther King (David Oyelowo) and others, as part of a movement to give African American citizens the opportunity to exercise their right to vote. Continue reading ITOL Top 50 Films of the Decade, Entry No. 9: Selma