AWFJ Women on Film - Rotten Tomatoes

AWFJ Women on Film

AWFJ Women on Film is not a Tomatometer-approved publication. Reviews from this publication only count toward the Tomatometer when written by the following Tomatometer-approved critic(s): Alexandra Heller-Nicholas, Betsy Bozdech, Brandy McDonnell, Carla Renata, Carol Cling, Cate Marquis, Courtney Howard, Diane Carson, Jen Yamato, Jennifer Merin, Joanna Langfield, Leslie Combemale, Loren King, Maitland McDonagh, MaryAnn Johanson, Nikki Baughan, Pamela Powell, Roxana Hadadi, Sandie Angulo Chen, Sarah Knight Adamson, Sarah Ward, Sherin Nicole, Susan Granger, Susan Wloszczyna, Valerie Kalfrin
Rating
Title/Year
Author
1
Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over (2021)

Sherin Nicole

Punk has produced queens because its queens have made punk "rock." Lydia Lunch knows women making noise are women being heard and The War Is Never Over proves her point is perennially sharp.
Posted Aug 4, 2021
2
Ailey (2021)

Sherin Nicole

How do you honor Alvin Ailey? With body, with sound, with memory born of heritage flung out to the farthest reaches of what was and who we have yet to become. Filmmaker Jamila Wignot's documentary encompasses all of the above--and it is we who are moved.
Posted Aug 4, 2021
3
In Case of Emergency (2020)

Carol Cling

Director Jones - assisted by cinematographer Jaka Vinsek and editors Laura Israel and Chelsea Smith - deftly interweaves talking-heads interviews and action footage.
Posted Aug 4, 2021
4
Chasing Childhood (2020)

Valerie Kalfrin

Any parent nervous about striking the right balance between encouraging creativity and ambition while also fostering independence will find plenty of food for thought
Posted Aug 2, 2021
5
Scales (Sayidat Al Bahr) (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

a narrative feature conceived as a feminist parable that also calls to mind a myth or a fairy tale
Posted Aug 2, 2021
6
River (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

River fails to build much suspense. The first inklings of sci-fi turn up about halfway through the film's running time, which for some viewers might be too little too late.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
7
How to Deter a Robber (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

a coming-of-age caper based around home invasion that creates genuine laughs in spite of a wobbly third act.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
8
How It Ends (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

a quirky yet poignant comedy ... a resolution that's heartening and satisfying.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
9
Val (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

an engrossing dive into one man's creative drive and how through art he believes he has more to give.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
10
2.5/5
Lorelei (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Regrets and yearnings for second chances haunt the hardscrabble lovers of Lorelei, a character study with natural performances that rise above its sometimes sluggish pace.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
11
Georama Boy Panorama Girl (2020)

Alexandra Heller-Nicholas

Georama Boy, Panorama Girl is not going to set the world on fire, but it is certainly a charming if at times reductive portrait of life and love amongst the young in contemporary Japan.
Posted Aug 2, 2021
12
Playing with Sharks (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

If you are in need of inspiration of the fierce, feisty and fearless female kind, you can't do better than this semi-deep dive into the life of Valerie May Taylor as revealed in the documentary Playing With Sharks.
Posted Jul 23, 2021
13
Mama Weed (La Daronne) (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

What saves Mama Weed is Mama Weed herself. At age 68, the sight of the still-glorious Huppert onscreen being as intriguing as ever will give you a contact high that lasts a good long time.
Posted Jul 16, 2021
14
Love Type D (2019)

Susan Wloszczyna

We should applaud first-time writer-director Sasha Collington for coming up with a truly unique fantasy premise. However, Dermody spends much of the film moping about when such a farcical premise craves energy and snappy dialogue.
Posted Jul 9, 2021
15
4/5
Black Widow (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Johansson, Pugh, and Weisz create the perfect trio of complicated heroines and David Harbour offers great comic relief. Can we put the "women can't direct action" thing to rest?
Posted Jul 8, 2021
16
Black Widow (2021)

Jennifer Merin

Cate Shortland's directorial perspective and prowess are evident in every frame of Black Widow... a beautifully crafted and technically impressive flick, she's planted seeds for serious thought and discourse that make Black Widow meaningful and memorable.
Posted Jul 1, 2021
17
3.5/5
Best Summer Ever (2020)

Leslie Combemale

Both realistic & aspirational, Best Summer Ever is the sort of movie that may be fun and frothy, but it's also needed in order for bigger studio films to consider more inclusive casting.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
18
5/5
Hope (Håp) (2021)

Leslie Combemale

There is a languid way Sødahl films the scenes, which show her comfort with silences & trust in the performers, that allows an authenticity rarely seen in stories about disease and death.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
19
3/5
F9 (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Don't think. Just enjoy the 145 minutes of things that go boom, and the blessedly diverse cast doing crazy things in the name of eternal friendship and defending their own moral code.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
20
3/5
Lydia Lunch: The War Is Never Over (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Director Beth B guides us through to the moment when we hear, from Lydia herself, the genesis of the potent rage that drives her art.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
21
5/5
Rebel Hearts (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Rebel Hearts will enlighten viewers about heroines who were unwilling to shrink in the face of the misogynistic patriarchy that denounced their every decision as though ordained by God.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
22
3.5/5
Spirit Untamed (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Spirit Untamed will find a ready audience in the many fans of the Spirit franchise, and may make a few new fans with this horsey friendship-based tale.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
23
5/5
In the Heights (2021)

Leslie Combemale

The film genuinely celebrates community, togetherness, and loyalty in a way that is a balm to those who desperately yearn for it. Let's be honest. That is all of us.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
24
3/5
Enfant Terrible (2021)

Leslie Combemale

If he achieves one thing with Enfant Terrible it is in letting Masucci loose to bring Fassbinder, with his poker face, paunch, and all his darkest and most creative aspects, to life.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
25
4/5
Spring Blossom (Seize printemps) (2021)

Leslie Combemale

The ways in which writer/director Lindon reveals 16 year old character Suzanne's joy and growing attachment to Raphaël, and all he stands for, are inventive and sweet.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
26
4/5
Emily @ the Edge of Chaos (2021)

Leslie Combemale

There is an immediacy in the interaction happening directly between Levine and each viewer that both explains big ideas and gives them context for our own lives.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
27
4/5
In Our Mothers' Gardens (2020)

Leslie Combemale

In Our Mothers' Gardens is a fearless, confessionalist record, from inside personal histories, of Black mothers and grandmothers, and it is beautifully steeped in Black love and culture.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
28
3/5
Knots: A Forced Marriage Story (2021)

Leslie Combemale

It is clearly a labor of love for Brewer, and she certainly expresses an urgency for change that seems to elude our politicians + there's value in hearing the highly personal stories.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
29
4.5/5
Sisters with Transistors (2020)

Leslie Combemale

Director Lisa Rovner builds a story of the individual depth and collective artistic value that leaves no question as to these women's importance to music history as well as the art world.
Posted Jun 27, 2021
30
Rebel Hearts (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

After watching the documentary Rebel Hearts, I have seen how the rigid and outwardly sexist patriarchal hierarchy of the church took advantage of nuns at a time when women in general were fighting for their rights.
Posted Jun 25, 2021
31
The Sparks Brothers (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

It makes sense that Wright would be a fan of theirs since, like his idols, he is not one to avoid grandiose excess in his own work.
Posted Jun 25, 2021
32
Julia Scotti: Funny That Way (2020)

Susan Wloszczyna

[A] refreshingly honest and moving documentary.
Posted Jun 25, 2021
33
Luca (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

This buoyantly engaging Pixar tale directed by Enrico Casarosa, the maker of the Oscar-nominated 2011 short La Luna, provides enough catchy hooks to please most family viewers.
Posted Jun 25, 2021
34
4/5
Rebel Hearts (2021)

Betsy Bozdech

By protesting with joy, the Sisters prove over and over again that they embody the truest spirit of the God they love and serve faithfully.
Posted Jun 22, 2021
35
Les nôtres (2021)

Leslie Combemale

Les Nôtres is a good movie, but in this case being good means causing discomfort and evoking anger from its audience.
Posted Jun 16, 2021
36
Les nôtres (2021)

Sherin Nicole

This is a slowly seething film that causes your hands to clench.
Posted Jun 16, 2021
37
Les nôtres (2021)

Betsy Bozdech

Leblanc deftly captures the insidious nature of grooming in Les Notres, telling a story that could give any loving parent or caregiver nightmares.
Posted Jun 16, 2021
38
Les nôtres (2021)

Loren King

[A] compelling, well-crafted film.
Posted Jun 16, 2021
39
Les nôtres (2021)

Sandie Angulo Chen

Bierre gives a stand-out, expressive performance, as does Pelletier, whose looks of confusion and anger mirror how viewers will feel at many a time in this powerful film.
Posted Jun 16, 2021
40
Skater Girl (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

The idea that one small step can change a person's life anchors the warmhearted Skater Girl, which tackles a lot of issues beyond a teenage girl in rural India who finds freedom on wheels.
Posted Jun 12, 2021
41
Holler (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

At the end of Holler, however, there is a flicker of hope. That's mainly due to Barden's beautifully modulated performance.
Posted Jun 11, 2021
42
Tove (2021)

Susan Wloszczyna

Biopics are a dime a dozen these days with many often featuring the usual cliched rise- and-fall scenario. But with Tove, director Zaida Bergroth is lucky enough to focus on a uniquely alluring Finnish sketcher.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
43
Things Heard & Seen (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Like the haunted house in upstate New York at the core of its story, Things Heard & Seen has good bones. Unfortunately, its plodding pace, shallow characterizations, and on-the-nose dialogue keep this Netflix thriller from being a satisfying showpiece.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
44
Duty Free (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Duty Free doesn't state it outright, but it's a pleasure to see Sian-Pierre Regis's love for his mom translate into showing how people have value, regardless of age.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
45
Wildcat (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

The film tips its hand a little early ... but Georgina Campbell, who won a BAFTA TV Award for Best Actress for 2014's Murdered by My Boyfriend, turns in a gripping performance.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
46
The Man Who Sold His Skin (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Writer-director Kaouther Ben Hania and The Man Who Sold His Skin question how often we objectify others and hold them at arm's length, even when they're not on exhibit. It's a thought-provoking and unexpectedly nuanced film.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
47
Shiva Baby (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Some viewers might consider the one-upmanship and Jewish flavor a little thick, like a slab of cream cheese. ... But like its seemingly aimless protagonist, [Shiva Baby] continually surprises, eventually finding its way.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
48
I'M FINE (Thanks for Asking) (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

A small story with large stakes for its main character, I'm Fine (Thanks for Asking) reminds us there's a lot going on in someone's life, even when they insist all's well. It's an appeal for empathy with a lot of heart.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
49
Ludi (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Ludi's struggles and weariness are relatable, and ... Ludi eventually learns that she needs to care for herself as well as others, but the film's momentum unfortunately needs TLC.
Posted Jun 3, 2021
50
The House That Rob Built (2021)

Valerie Kalfrin

Fans of women's basketball ... will enjoy the plunge into history. But other viewers might find that the accomplishments of Robin Selvig and the women he coached bounce by too fast to absorb the emotional impact.
Posted Jun 3, 2021