Nida Faraz describes some lovely movies directed by female directors
More Movies Directed By Women – Year after year, movie awards—from the Oscars to the Golden Globes—seem to snub films directed by women but a lack of choice is certainly not to blame. In fact that the movies directed by women are considered as good as directed by their male counterparts and some of such movies have been duly noted in the cine circles.
Bright Star is directed by Jane Campion, 2009 starring Abbie Cornish, Ben Whishaw and Paul Schneider. Bright Star chronicles the love story between the famous poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne. While several filmmakers have characterised Brawne as a muse, Jane Campion depicts her as an equal, a woman unto herself whose role in Keats’ life goes far beyond mere inspiration.
Lost in Translation is directed by Sofia Coppola, 2003 starring Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson and Giovanni Ribisi. When you grow up in the shadow of Francis Ford Coppola, it is hard to make a name for yourself as a director, but Sofia Coppola managed to do just that, in large part due to the success of Lost in Translation. Film buffs fell in love with this movie in which the characters played by Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson seem to drift through an existential void that we have all experienced at one time or another.
Something’s Gotta Give is directed by Nancy Meyers, 2003 starring Jack Nicholson, Diane Keaton and Keanu Reeves. Nancy Meyers, who gave The Parent Trap, What Women Want and the screenplay for Father of the Bride, is no stranger to light, romantic comedies where everyone is rich and lives in a big house. In Something’s Gotta Give, Meyers directs two powerhouse actors, Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton and gets top-notch material out of them.
Frida is directed by Julie Taymor, 2002 starring Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina and Geoffrey Rush. Painter Frida Kahlo didn’t need a movie to make her an icon and a bold role model for thousands of women, but this biopic directed by Julie Taymor certainly did not hurt.
Mansfield Park is directed by Patricia Rozema, 1999 starring Frances O’Connor, Jonny Lee Miller and Alessandro Nivola. Jane Austen’s novels have been turned into movies many times but rarely by women. Mansfield Park by Patricia Rozema, fixes that problem.
The Matrix is directed by Lilly and Lana Wachowski, 1999 starring Keanu Reeves, Laurence Fishburne and Carrie-Anne Moss. The Wachowski Sisters had not yet come out as trans-women when they made The Matrix. This latest development adds another layer of analysis to their work, otherwise audiences can simply enjoy an extremely effective action movie.
The Piano is directed by Jane Campion, 1993 starring Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel and Sam Neill. In 1850 New Zealand, a mute woman stuck in an arranged marriage agrees to satisfy the desires of another man to gain access to his piano. The exceptional way in which Jane Campion depicted this woman’s vulnerability on screen prompted Xavier Dolan to write roles for women in his own movie. The Weekender
