FEMALE DIRECTORS RULE
Best Movies By Women in 2021
Directing is still, by and large, a male-dominated field. But that doesn’t stop female directors from trying to break through. Things are slowly getting better. This year has seen many great, prestigious movies directed by women, some already established, some directorial debuts. Let’s look at 6 of the best films directed by women this year.
BRUISED
Halle Berry made her directorial debut with this action film about a disgraced MMA fighter who is given an opportunity for redemption. But, unfortunately, it’s not only back in the ring where she will have to prove herself; she must also contend with the return of her 6-year-old son, on whom she walked out years ago. According to Berry, the lead role was initially written to be played by a mid-20s white Irish-American before she convinced screenwriter Michelle Rosenfarb to let her adapt it to a middle-aged Black woman.
TITANE
Julia Ducournau returned with a sophomore feature almost, if not equally, as provocative as her debut Raw. Titane is an erotic, body-horror film that cannot easily be summed up in just a few sentences. To put it in the simplest terms possible, it’s about a woman with a metal plate in her head who embarks on a journey that somehow also involves sex with a car. Nevertheless, the film went on to win the Palme d’Or, making Ducournau the second woman to win the festival’s top prize.
THE POWER OF THE DOG
Jane Campion has been making films and television shows for years, but she took a hiatus from the world of feature films for 12 years. This year marks her return to features with this neo-western drama. The movie follows charismatic and mercurial rancher Phil Burbank (Benedict Cumberbatch), who finds himself at odds with his brother George (Jesse Plemons) when George brings home a new wife (Kirsten Dunst). However, Phil finds himself falling for his new sister-in-law’s son (Kodi Smit-McPhee).
PASSING
Rebecca Hall made her directorial debut with this drama, based on a book of the same name, about two light-skinned African-American women (Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga). These childhood friends reconnect as adults in 1920s Harlem. While one of the women has been living her life, “passing” as a white woman, the other has embraced her Black identity. Hall was drawn to the story because it resonated with her as the daughter of a light-skinned African-American woman.
CODA
Sian Heder’s remake of the 2014 French film La Famille Bélier follows the hearing daughter, Ruby (Locke & Key’s Emilia Jones) of 2 deaf parents, with Marlee Matlin as her mother. Ruby spends her days helping her parents run their fishing business. However, when she discovers her passion for music, she has a decision to make: stay to help her family or pursue her goals. CODA had its world premiere on January 28 at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival, and Apple TV+ bought it for $25 Million.
THE LOST DAUGHTER
Maggie Gyllenhaal made her directorial debut with this adaptation of the Elena Ferrante novel of the same name. The film follows a college professor (Olivia Colman) obsessed with a woman (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter, whom she meets while on vacation in Italy. This obsession leads her to re-examine her past. The Lost Daughter premiered at the 78th Venice International Film Festival, where it received a four-minute standing ovation. Netflix has the film’s distribution rights.
