We may not have stepped foot in a theater for who knows how long, but here’s an upside: A recent study has shown that 2020 had a record-setting number of female directors.
It’s a long road to diversity, especially for locals who only know the Sofia Coppolas, Greta Gerwigs and Patty Jenkins of the cinema scene. But for those who need that 411, we got you covered. Here are a couple of female-directed films to add to your list, which isn’t, well, “Lost in Translation.”
“Me and You and Everyone We Know” (2005)
Dir. Miranda July
Offbeat rom-com? Check. Miranda July’s debut flick has a single dad-slash-salesman and a starving performance artist trying to spark up a romance, but the real world keeps butting in… somehow.
“Pariah” (2011)
Dir. Dee Rees
Dee Rees’ coming-of-age and coming-out story focuses on Alike, a Brooklyn-based lesbian teenager who’s stuck in a religious household. Things take a heart-wrenching turn when she’s left to juggle her conflicting identities, with her family and friends on the line.
“Girlhood” (2014)
Dir. Céline Sciamma
Set in the streets of Paris—the less romantic and rougher side, that is—lead gal Marieme joins an all-girl gang, where she’s gradually kicked out of her shy shell. “Girlhood” flips the ideals of French femininity, as she begins to spiral into braver (or beyond foolish) paths.
“Nomadland” (2020)
Dir. Chloé Zhao
Starring Oscar fave Frances McDormand, a woman becomes a modern-day nomad as she takes a trip to the American West after taking the brunt of the Great Recession.
“They” (2017)
Dir. Anahita Ghazvinizadeh
Fourteen-year-old J comes to grips with gender identity struggles, all while in the middle of puberty. After two years of medication and therapy, they make a decision whether or not to transition.
“The Souvenir” (2019)
Dir. Joanna Hogg
A passionate romance, but make it even artsier. This ’80s-set feature centers on Julie, a young film student who falls for a man, whose drug addiction she discovers too late.
“The Farewell” (2019)
Dir. Lulu Wang
The family of Billi (played by Awkwafina) takes a trip back home to China. While the “official” reason is a wedding, it’s all a guise to meet their matriarch one last time before her death—even if said matriarch doesn’t even know she’s dying.
“Toni Erdmann” (2016)
Dir. Maren Ade
A character study with a dash of fart jokes, dark humor and philosophical nuggets, one woman reluctantly spends quality time with her estranged dad when he pops back into her life. But her jokester dad soon finds a better way to reconnect. How? By pretending to be her CEO’s life coach, of course.
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Still from “Me and You and Everyone We Know”