Currently Browsing: Farah Elattar
Directed by Diane Kuris, Entre Nous (Between Us) serves as a wonderful example of the complexities that arise when choosing to stray from the status quo imposed by your loved ones and your community. (FEA 5/5) Review by FF2 Associate Farah Elattar The film stars Isabelle Huppert as “Lena Weber,” a Jewish refugee who marries […]
A modern classic, Chantal Ackerman’s debut Je Tu Il Elle is both an ambiguous and precise film that deals with the cycles of desire, deprivation, and gratification that come with living in the modern world. (FEA: 5/5).
A much-needed phenomenon occurs in films made by women that feature strong female leads: a faithful portrayal of issues that women often have to face when breaking away from traditional roles. By FF2 Associate Farah Elattar This concept is brilliantly portrayed in Radioactive (Dir. Marjane Satrapi, 2019), and The Dancer (Dir. Stephanie Di Gusto, 2016), […]
A film by Marjane Satrapi, Radioactive presents itself as a biopic with a twist. On top of capturing the complicated life of Marie Curie, it successfully examines the hardships that come with being a female scientist in early 1900s France. (FEA 4/5) Review by FF2 associate Farah Elattar Satrapi sets the scene by portraying “Maria […]
From IMDb: A feature length documentary film following one man’s search for random Americans concerned about an Islamic threat and offering them a free trip to Egypt. Free Trip to Egypt opens 5/31. FF2 review coming soon!
From IMDb: One man’s art. One woman’s unexpected path to healing. An American woman’s emotional quest to find the art of her Polish-Jewish great-grandfather, lost during World War II. Chasing Portraits opens 4/26. FF2 review coming soon!
Written by Mikki Daughtry and Tobias Iaconis, and directed by Michael Chaves, Curse de La Llorona is a horror film based on the Mexican legendary ghost of La Llorona — a woman who drowned her children and now cries while looking for them in the river, and goes after others who cross her path. (FEA […]
From IMDb: Ignoring the eerie warning of a troubled mother suspected of child endangerment, a social worker and her own small kids are soon drawn into a frightening supernatural realm. The Curse of La Llorona opens 4/19. FF2 review coming soon!
A film by feminist filmmaker Michal Aviad, Working Woman chronicles the painful story of a woman who returns to the workplace to support her family and their new business, and is faced with increased sexual harassment from her employer, in a job she comes to depend on. (FEA: 5/5) “Orna” (Liron Ben Shlush) finds her […]
Written and directed by Anna Zamecka, Komunia (Communion) is an award-winning Polish documentary revealing a critical time in the life of Ola Kaczanowski, a 14-year-old girl, who feels responsible for her dysfunctional family. (JA: 4/5) Review by FF2 Intern Joanne Abbassi The story of the Kaczanowski family has two plots. The physical and superficial one […]
Written by Mike Makowsky and directed by Reed Morano, I Think We’re Alone Now is a unique twist on the post-apocalyptic genre, as it explores the beautifully complex journey of a man and a woman who are seemingly the last two people on Earth. (FEA 4.5/5) Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar For “Del” (Peter […]
Written and directed by Rungano Nyoni, I Am Not a Witch follows the devastating story of a young girl who is accused of being a witch, is sent to a “witch camp,” and is tied to a cord she is told will turn her into a goat if cut. An exploration of consumerism and white tourism […]
Written and directed by Hélène Cattet and Bruno Forzani, Let the Corpses Tan depicts the story of a gang and its leader, who think they have found the perfect hideout for their stolen gold in the middle of the Mediterranean Italian mountains. Their plan is then foiled by the arrival of two cops, turning the beautiful […]
Directed by Gail Freedman, Hot to Trot is a beautifully-made documentary that depicts the alternative world of queer ballroom dancing through the lens of three dance couples. (FEA 4.5/5) Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar Hot to Trot is a feature length documentary that follows two couples for around four years as they go to […]
The Darkest Minds is light-hearted and intended for younger audiences, and it is enjoyable, but it misses potentially deeper tonalities. (FEA: 3.5/5)
Directed by Marc Turtletaub and co-written by Oren Moverman and Polly Mann, Puzzle Pis a captivating, delicate film about a housewife and mother who, taken for granted in her home, finds her passion and her calling in solving jigsaw puzzles that take her beyond her house and neighborhood. (FEA 4.5/5)
Directed by Clio Barnard and written by Clio Barnard, Lila Rawlings, and Rose Tremain, Dark River follows a young woman who returns to her home village in North Yorkshire after her estranged father’s death in order to claim the family farm. Low-key and minimalist in its production, Dark River is a beautifully tragic family drama […]
The film beautifully captures the dullness and darkness that can exist when this family faces poverty, illness, and loss in different forms. (FEA 4.5/5)
Directed by Amy Adrion, Half the Pictureis a documentary that combines research and interviews to expose the dismal number of female directors in Hollywood. From my perspective as a Cinema Studies major and FF2 Media Intern, Half the Picture could not have been timelier, as it exposes the unjust world of Hollywood (FEA: 5/5).
Directed by Jyoti Singh and Vick Krishna (based on the screenplay by Gauri Singh and Poonam Basu), Yadvi – The Dignified Princess is a beautiful, minimalistic independent Indian film that tells the story of a woman whose courageous attitude kept her alive through the catastrophes that struck her on both a personal and political level. (FEA […]
From IMDb: Never take your mistress on an annual guys’ getaway, especially one devoted to hunting – a violent lesson for three wealthy married men. Revenge opens 5/11/18 in NYC. FF2 review coming soon!
Written by Laura Brownson and Jeff Seymann Gilbert and directed by Laura Brownson, The Rachel Divide is a comprehensive look at the story of Rachel Dolezal – a woman who claims to be Black, despite her White origins. (FSE: 4.5/5) Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar The documentary’s goal is to give viewers enough background […]
Written and directed by Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, I Feel Pretty stars Amy Schumer in a meaningful comedy that tells the story of a young woman who discovers the true definition of beauty, in a world that makes it so hard to find. (FEA 5/5). Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar “Renee Barrett” (Amy […]
Directed by Erika Cohn, The Judge is a documentary that gives a unique perspective on the concept of Sharia Law, through the eyes of the first woman judge in the Middle East’s religious court. (FEA: 5/5) Review by FF2 Intern Farah Elattar Kholoud Al-Faqih is part of a modern-day movement that aims to challenge religious […]
Written by Kaouther Ben Hania, and co-directed by Ben Hania and Khaled Barsaoui, Beauty and the Dogs (2017) tells the story of a young Tunisian woman who is raped and harassed by members of the post-revolutionary Tunisian police. (FEA 5/5). Review by FF2 Media Intern Farah A. Elattar “Mariam” (Mariam Al Ferjani) is a college […]
Written and directed by Amber Sealey, No Light and No Land Anywhere tells the story of a young woman who boards a plane from the UK to Los Angeles in search of the father who abandoned her during her childhood. Once in LA, she encounters many new people during her stay – some she will […]
A film by Susan Polis Shutz, The Homeless Chorus Speaks, currently playing a Cinema Village, is a soul-touching documentary that tells the stories of The People’s Choir – a choir made of people whose lives have led them to the streets of California. (FEA 5/5).
Written and directed by Valeska Grisebach, Western tells the story of a group of German construction workers who take on a job in a rural part of Bulgaria near an isolated village near their construction site setting the stage for a clash of tradition and modernity between Eastern and Western Europe. (FEA 4/5)
Co-written by Tomohiro Maekawa, Kiyoshi Kurosawa and Sachiko Tanaka, Before We Vanish Before We Vanish chronicles the story of three aliens who visit present-day Earth in order to prepare for their planned invasion to reveal the beautiful complexity that is modern human life. (FEA 3/5)
Directed by Ziad Doueiri and co-written by Doueiri and Joelle Touma, The Insult deals with the Palestinian refugee crisis in modern-day Beirut. The film gradually evolves, and is successfully able to tackle the complex issues of religion and politics in the Middle East. (FEA: 5/5)
