Hello #FemFri friends, and welcome to an interlude, as our beloved editrix Alex has (perhaps recklessly) handed over the reins to moi for a couple of weeks. I’m Margo, just a humble woman with a MS Excel licence and co-founder of a queer romance publishing house, if that’s your bag.

Like Alex, I love a project, and any chance to Life Laugh Love with data. This year, one of my projects has been to watch 52 movies directed by women. I probably never would have considered doing this if I’d not checked my D-by-W stats this time last year and realised that out of about 120 movies, I’d seen less than ten by female directors. Those are shocking numbers, and not even out of the ordinary - last year, out of the fifty most-watched films logged on Letterboxd, only a poxy eight were helmed by women-identifying directors. 

https://letterboxd.com/2022/#women-directors 

Nora Ephron reeling: “Only eight??!?”

According to the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative, out of the top-grossing movies in the last 15 years, only 5.6% were directed by women. There’s a whole report on this that you can download here:

https://annenberg.usc.edu/research/aii

Shoddy! Annoying! Boo this stat!

Claire Denis expressing Gallic disdain for those numbers

But I can be the change I want to see in the world, and between me and Greta Gerwig our 2023 efforts are pretty much even in improving the lot of the lady filmmaker. As I am sure the refined and almost obscenely tasteful readers of this fine newsletter already know about grande dames of kino like Campion, Varda, and Bigelow, I wanted to recommend some potentially lesser-seen movies. I may not have watched some of these if it wasn’t for this project, and I’d be worse off. 

I, the Worst of All (1990), directed by María Luisa Bemberg 

According to Bemberg’s entry in the book Notable Twentieth-Century Latin American Women, she had much in common with the subject of this biopic, Sor Juana, a 17th-century Mexican nun and polymath: “Both women [Bemberg and the character, Sor Juana] were self-taught, transgressive, and devoted to their work. Sor Juana was one of the most illustrious voices of the Spanish Baroque; Bemberg was the first Argentine woman who developed a movie career from her personal point of view.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mar%C3%ADa_Luisa_Bemberg 

I didn’t know that when I clicked play, I just wanted a good nun vs The Catholic Church movie, and I, the Worst of All is a great watch - it’s currently available with subtitles on YouTube:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCzYyN0_ze8

Looking for Alibrandi (2000), directed by Kate Woods

This is based on a YA novel that was a mega-hit in Australia, and the movie adaptation might have been a cynical cash-in, but Woods is a confident director who is absolutely on the side of her headstrong lead character, Josephine Alibrandi (played by Pia Miranda, who would go on to win Australian Survivor. Can’t say that can you, Hugh Jackman?) 

You can watch a fairly decent print on YouTube. I suspect it’s held back from streaming due to music rights, as it’s packed with turn-of-the-century Ocker indie bops:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FypGqye7YwU 

Marlina the Murderer in Four Acts (2017), directed by Mouly Surya

It’s an Indonesian revenge Western, and I’d sure it’s better than any other Indonesian revenge Western you’ve ever seen. Our heroine Marlina is preyed on by a group of wandering thieves, and she fights back. It’s bloody and violent, but also darkly funny and touching, and Marsha Timothy as Marlina gives a riveting lead performance. Kill Bill whomst?

This can be rented from Amazon in the UK:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/video/detail/0TZXRYI4CBT6NVGUBYY0YC5M03/ref=atv_dl_rdr 

Have a great weekend, and may you find something that gives you joy to watch.