Three Things: Just Girls
Hi! How are you? I had an intense but successful week at work so I spent yesterday in the prone position watching movies. After a week of being inundated with mugshots of old white men who want to dismantle our republic, you probably want to either drown in a tub of champagne or rip the hearts out of your enemies. Both are reasonable reactions. Depending on your mood, I’ve got a movie for you. And they’re all about women, so fuck yeah.
You Are So Not Invited to My Bat Mitzvah (Netflix)
I had absolutely no plan to watch this, but the auto-play on Netflix is a smart little sucker and ran a funny clip from it, so I played right into their hands. Starring the entire damn Sandler (as in Adam) family, this is a frothy little cupcake of a movie and I enjoyed every second. There is very little original about it, but when the world is a literal burning hellscape, sometimes you just need someone to bathe your brain in ice cream.
You Won’t Be Alone (Peacock)
The fact that I watched this immediately after that ^^ should probably be studied by
psychiatric professionals, but I contain multitudes. Set in a 19th century Macedonian peasant village - wait, where are you going? Give this movie 10 minutes and you’ll be hooked, I promise. Unless you’re squeamish. Then definitely do not watch this. It’s the story of a witch who inhabits the bodies of a series of people, but it’s also a very astute framing of what it’s like to be a woman. It’s gorgeously shot with astounding acting from everyone in it and a narration that is pure poetry. A hidden gem - let me know what you think of it.
Private Life (Netflix)
And for a completely different aspect of womanhood, check out this tale of fertility struggles starring Kathryn Hahn and Paul Giamatti. One of those quiet but powerful movies that only grown-ass adults can appreciate, it also features a wonderful depiction of a marriage that I haven’t often seen in film.
Last week of summer is upon us and I am just fine with that. Enjoy it, friends!