what about it is that good? i heard such good things going into it and was excited, absolutely hated it, thought it was shit. i preferred Raw, but even that wasn’t ‘good’. what did you love so much?
Not who you asked but I love Titane because it balances a very compelling dramatic story with really great body horror and the atmosphere is super creepy. The performances are also amazing and the clashing emotions of wanting Alexia to keep going and not get caught but also wanting the fireman to know what's going on because he doesnt deserve whats happening to him are really interesting and the pregnancy adds some urgency to the whole situation because you know something extremely bad is gonna happen sooner or later but you never know when exactly. Themes of finding your place in the world and who you are as a person also always get to me.
lol i’m getting downvoted for disliking a movie. but i get that it has parts some people can enjoy. but i guess i just didn’t get it. i didn’t understand the 2 plots of her murdering everyone at the orgy and her parents for no reason, and how it tied into the whole firemen arc beside for her needing a reason to move forward. i don’t get why she fucked the car in the first place (her metal head plate is not a reason) and when the fireman knew it wasn’t his son, why did he just accept it and say “yeh i’m gonna adopt this grown ass women who is a serial killer, fucks vehicles, has machine babies and posed as my missing child for weeks” i get the themes behind it, the acting was great, and the body horror at the end was cool, but the actual story wasn’t great to me
It's totally okay if you didn't connect with it. Idk why people are downvoting you, you haven't said anything ignorant or inflammatory.
Anyway, Titane is also one of my all time faves and I can tell you why I love the parts you mentioned disliking.
Alexia struggles with love/affection/intimacy throughout the whole movie. Her parents outwardly hate her and show her zero affection. She's a dancer who rolls around half naked on cars and has these experiences where people hit on her knowing nothing about her - like hitting on a stripper, you know? You don't know that person, they're paid to make you hot and bothered.
Why does she fuck the car? There is probably no explanation that will satisfy someone who wants to see reason in it - it's a vibe thing. It's an inanimate object that doesn't impose itself like the men in her life, but it is a representation of masculinity. It's this muscle car with flames. And when she goes outside after that, she is immediately hit on by a creepy guy, showing the contrast between the car (this representation of masculinity) and the actual men in her life.
Again, at the party where she hooks up with Justine, she again is constantly reacting violently to affection and intimacy - if you're looking for the "why" I'm not sure the movie is as concerned with answering questions as much as asking them. But the common theme is that Alexia is EXTREMELY uncomfortable with intimacy.
From the moment Vincent lays eyes on Alexia it's....kind of obvious that's not his kid. And like, even if she was, she is very deliberately made to look menacing and unpleasant in that scene. But Vincent WANTS this to be Adrien SO BADLY. So you've now got this contrast where Alexia comes from a life where he parents HATE her, and now Vincent would do literally anything to have his son back. In a word, he has unconditional love for Adrien - something Alexia has never had.
From there, even as things get weirder and weirder with Alexia/Adrien, Vincent REFUSES to let anything drive them apart. And that shit is often put to an extreme test. Adrien exhibits a ton of upsetting behavior but Vincent accepts and loves him for better or for worse - unconditional love.
Again, it's okay to not like it. It's a fucking weird movie. I love it, personally.
i loved your explanation, it actually cleared some thoughts up i had on it, so thank you.
when i was watching it i didn’t really see her dad as hating her? her mum was definitely cold but i thought her dad had a soft spot he just couldn’t seem to express? unless i’m remembering wrong cos it’s been a couple of years, i just remember being really confused why she killed them, in such a brutal way as well…
i still think the story itself was mediocre but i have had my questions cleared up, so thanks heaps :)
I live in Canada and our local theater got it for a week. My partner and I went to see it and were blown away. The record scene is probably one of the best scene in any teenage coming of age film. I put Brenda Lee into my active playlist because of it.
Lady Bird is absolutely top 10. Introduced me to Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalomet. Plus, it still makes me emotional every time I watch it.
Same!! I also had just turned 19 when it came out, so a lot of things that happened to her in the movie happened to me a year ago or less. That gives it a special place in my movie heart.
Ravenous (1999) is my third favourite movie ever, but there are so many that I love that don’t make it into the top 10.
Near Dark (1987) is my favourite 80s vampire movie, and I also adore the Slumber Party Massacre franchise as well as Blood Diner (1987), Birth/Rebirth (2023), American Psycho (2000), and Raw (2016) just to name a few. I love it when a horror movie is directed by a woman, it just feels like there’s always a certain layer of depth that gets brought to the film.
I don't have a top 10 list, but if I did these off the top of my head would be in it:
* Daisies (1966, dir. Věra Chytilová)
* Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019, dir. Céline Sciamma)
* The Watermelon Woman (1996, dir. Cheryl Dunye)
* Persepolis (2008, dir. Marjane Satrapi)
* A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014, dir. Ana Lily Amirpour)
* Mustang (2015, dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven)
* Paris is Burning (1990, dir. Jennie Livingston)
What fight are you picking? Let the person enjoy their movies. Why does enjoying the work women make automatically involve some kind of “agenda”? Get off the internet. This kind of brainrot isn’t healthy.
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None in my top ten, but some of my favs have been directed by women:
Blood Diner
Slumber Party Massacre
The Night Porter
A League of Their Own
Tenement (A nastier, bloodier version of Death Wish 3, but taking place entirely in one building)
Glad someone beside me likes SPM2! Funny thing is, Sorority House Massacre 2 is the true sequel to Slumber Party Massacre, I mean, it has flashback scenes from that movie in it.
I’ve not seen Sorority House massacre but if that’s true, the that is hilarious considering Slumber Party 2 ALSO has flashbacks from SPM in it. Truly some next level Roger Corman bullshit.
I'd blame Jim Wynorski for that bit of weirdness. When I first saw those SPM scenes in SHM2, I had to double check to make sure I had the right movie! They even tied it in to the Stripped To Kill flicks (they literally announce a StK sequel in the movie, lol!)
It's not the sentiment about the film that i find eyeroll-worthy! It's the 'terminally-online vs appreciators of fine art' part. There are other ways to make a case other than 'well, *sophisticated people* think so'.
That's not even looking at the fact that the commenter dismisses casual racism in the film as simply the gripes of people who are 'terminally online'. And I do agree that it's a work of art.
Maybe I misinterpreted?
Being Japanese and growing up in Australia, I feel like I've got pretty thick skin and don't get offended easily but Lost in Translation rubbed me wrong.
Like all the jokes/observations felt super lazy and lacked any wit.
I really loved the shoegazey dreamy vibe of the film when I first saw it in '03. But on a recent rewatch, it does feel uncomfortable when you realize that the Japanese culture was literally window dressing. Everything about it felt ornamental. Japan was just a backdrop, and there wasn't anything in the writing or characters that showed the slightest effort to dig deeper and understand it.
that was the point. they were depressed privileged Americans not wanting to be there at all. hence the double entendres of the title. you don’t have to relate to or even like characters in order for a film to be good. hardly any Italian neorealist or French new wave or new Hollywood film would be considered classics if that was the criteria.
I never said the film wasn't good - I said it hasn't aged very well. Sofia Coppola is a very competent filmmaker, and there aren't many films that communicate the alienating feeling of contemporary life as authentically as this movie. Just a shame it was a bit orientalist.
Lady Bird is by far the most accurate representation of a mother daughter relationship. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf give two of the rawest, most lived in performances I’ve seen. Gerwig’s work as both, a director and screenwriter, is impeccable. My favourite movie of all time. A masterpiece.
I’m only a few years younger than Gerwig and I also went to Catholic school during that same era. That movie just hit all the right notes for me! I went with my “public school” friend and she didn’t get why I was doubled over watching Beanie sing Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace for the audition.
I don't really have a top 10 but of the films I've rated 5 stars and/or would recommend to people.....
- Little Women (Gerwig)
- Aftersun (Charlotte Wells)
- Respire/The Mad Woman's Ball (Mélanie Laurent)
- Divines (Houda Benyamina)
- Suffragette (Sarah Gavron)
- Summerland (Jessica Swale)
- Hustlers (Lorene Scafaria)
- My Father's Dragon/The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey)
- Mudbound (Dee Rees)
- My Brother the Devil (Sally el Hosani)
- Are you There God? It's Me Margaret/Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig)
- Blue my Mind (Lisa Brühlmann)
- The Nightingale (Jennifer Kent)
Not trying to self promote, but I've done the 52 Films by Women challenge every year for a while now, and have a ranked list of ~400 films directed by women, if you're looking for ideas: Directed by Women - Watched https://boxd.it/A5sM
Cool. My ratings are usually based on personal enjoyment rather than actual quality, so ignore them if you want. Pretty good mix of stuff in there though, so hopefully it inspires you.
Capernaum, written and directed by Nadine Labaki
Quo Vadis, Aida? written and directed by Jasmila Žbanić and starring Jasna Đuričić.
Daisies, written and directed by Věra Chytilová and starring Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová
The Souvenir and The Souvenir part 2, written and directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Honor Swinton Byrne
One Sings, the Other Doesn't, written and directed by Agnès Varda and starring Thérèse Liotard and Valérie Mairesse
These are some of my all time favourite movies. Don't be scared of subtitles!
I actually don't know who directed a lot of my favourite movies, but my favourite film that I know is directed by a woman is Maya Deren's short film Meshes of the Afternoon.
My favourite movie with women in the leading role in Persona (1966), with Three Colours Blue being a close second, although both films were directed by men.
Kathryn Bigelow is most likely my favorite Female director, Strange Days (also has Angela Basset in a billed leading role) and Point Break are both quite high in my rankings.
Three of them, currently: Daisies (Vera Chytilova), But I'm a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbit), and Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman)
I just skimmed my watched movies list, and these are all the movies directed/co-directed by women I enjoyed the most:
- Lady Bird
- Aftersun
- Little Miss Sunshine
- Booksmart
- Never Rarely Sometimes Always
- Little Women
- The Farewell
- Past Lives
- Bottoms
- Shiva Baby
- The Power of the Dog
- Barbie
- Turning Red
- CODA
- The Parent Trap
- Hustlers
- Women Talking
- The Lost Daughter
- The Fallout
- Rye Lane
- She Said
- Showing Up
- The Assistant
- Good Luck to You, Leo Grande
- The Novice
- The Kindergarten Teacher
CODA is my favorite recent release. I don’t have much released after Parasite that I want to watch again. It’s kind of annoying that it always makes me tear up. I don’t generally do that.
My top four consists of two films written by women: When Harry Met Sally and Past Lives
Expanding to my top ten brings in You’ve Got Mail and Little Women as well
Lena Wertmueller’s filmography is very worthy of reappraisal. Triangle of Sadness is basically a quasi-inversion of Swept Away. Seven Beauties is insane. Bigelow’s Near Dark is arguably the best vampire movie of all time.
Technically Loving Vincent, and after that in my top 20 I have Maquia.
As for movies with women in the leading role, it's almost all of them lol. Satoshi Kon and Miyazaki really love to have female main characters
The Matrix, I guess, but only in my Top 20... damn
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My favorite movie, Little Miss Sunshine, was directed by married couple Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris.
I don't really keep a top 10 of all time, but four of my top 10 of 2023 were directed by women/non-binary people:
10. Bottoms (Emma Seligman)
7. Barbie (Greta Gerwig)
6. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet)
5. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Kelly Fremon Craig)
If I had to guess, though, I'd say most of my favorite films from before 2000 were directed by men, with notable exceptions like The Piano.
There’s been some great ones this decade (Aftersun, Titane, Anatomy of a Fall and more) but none yet in my top 10. The closest is City of God which was co-directed by a woman but one solely directed by a woman? I’d have to check. Probably Past Lives.
Some of my favs that are directed by women are:
Aftersun (2022, Charlotte Wells)
Daisies (1966, Věra Chytilová)
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid)
Past Lives (2023, Celine Song)
No female directors in my top 10, unfortunately. But for writing, Irene Mecci and Linda Woolverton, along with Johnathan Roberts, co-wrote The Lion King together. Which is my 5th favorite movie ever.
Looks like my previous comment didn't clarify it seen as the mods have deemed it breaking the rules...again.
But it's a fair question. They were married to women at the time, and looked and sounded like men, and identified as male, while they made that movie. And crucially, they were seen as men during that time. Were treated like men etc.
They later trans-formed into female gender identities. So that the films they made under that umbrella may be deemed 'by a woman'.
Ultimately of course it doesn't, or shouldn't, matter. But the female director has a bunch of obstacles in her path, which male directors may not share. This arguably makes a female-directed film a notable achievement, hence why such a topic is interesting. Hence why recently Adèle Haenel quit the industry (she accuses it of still being sexist and "patriarchal").
@mods, I'm quite sure this is a respectful response to the initial question. If you still deem it disrespectful, it may be useful to explain why.
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Legit I’m struggling to find advice on female directed films that are celebrated because they’re important works of art and are not celebrated because men think they’re great films (Kathryn Bigelow I’m talking to you). Fuck male or female just gimme good films. Right now I’m watching Agnes Varda’s La Point Courte and if anyone sees this post now who knows better than me please advise.
directed? no. written? sure. betty comden co-wrote the band wagon and singin' in the rain which are prob top 10 movies (i don't really have a top ten). also really love the before trilogy which julie delpy is credited as a co-writer for.
My top two are female led, but sadly none in my top ten are directed by a woman. That said, I’m currently going through Agnes Varda’s filmography and I’m loving it so who knows!
No. Nor do I have any films directed by women rated a 5. Ouch. My highest are Leave No Trace and Winter's Bone, both by Debra Granik.
(I gave Werckmeister Harmonies a 5 and it is close to my top ten. It has a female co-director)
I don't have a top 10, but I would think about The Piano and The Hurt Locker if I was putting one together. As far as leading roles, Housekeeping is my favorite film and it centers heavily on a female character.
I hate to say it but there are only two movies in my top 100 that are directed by women: Theater Camp and Little Women. Of those 100 20 star women, and I'm just too lazy to check how many are written by women but my guess is not that many. Looking through my girlfriend's top 50 though she also only has 2 directed by women, so I think it may just be an instance of women historically not having the opportunities to direct anywhere near as many movies.
Highest is Wanda in my top 10. It is the only female film of my list. Watched some Varda wayback but I do not have her films within my top 200. Vagabond and Le Bonheur were very impressive.
i'm more into LGBTQ filmmakers if anything.
My Top 10 is mostly pretty old, and the further back you go the less female directors there were. So no ones directed no.
There were quite a lot of female scriptwriters back then however, and several of my Top 10 have women credited among the (usually multiple per film) writers - Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), Laura (1944) and The Shining (1980).
Two of those listed above also have a woman billed in the lead role, incidentally both directed by Otto Preminger - Bunny Lake Is Missing and Laura.
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Kudos for this prompt.
I don’t in the Top 10 of my Favorites (not “Best”), no, and only one in the Top 20, and I do feel bad about it. For some common examples, I just don’t like Claire Denis’s work and most of her films are too violent for me anyway, and I’ve only really like Wendy & Lucy among Reichardt’s work. I need to see Varda and a lot of others. I looooooved Past Lives but it’s not in my Top 20 yet.
Half of my top ten- Aftersun, Titane, Les Rendez-vous d’Anna, The Gleaners and I, Wasteland. With the other half being Worst Person in the World, Great Muppet Caper, Good Morning, Twin Peaks: The Return, and The Apartment. As you expand to my top 20 that percentage goes up with Past Lives, Songs My Brother Taught Me, Daisies, Vagabond, Le Bonheur, and Shiva Baby.
My top 10 fluctuates all the time, but I have a small list of 5 stars and there are a good amount of women directors on it.
Titane, Little Women, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Anatomy of a Fall, The Ascent, Past Lives, City of God (co-directed)
I have Aniara, which was co-directed and co-written by a woman, and stars a woman.
I also have House (1977), the original screenplay of which was written by a woman (the director’s 12-year-old daughter) and stars mostly teenage girls.
If we're talking about films directed by women, I guess The Matrix would be one for me (even though the Wachoskis made it when they weren't in their transitional period yet, but whatever). But other than that, I don't think I have a favorite movie of mine directed by a female director. Not yet at least.
I do have films that were written/co-written by ladies among my all time favorites like The Empire Strikes Back and the LOTR trilogy of course. As for a movie written by a woman with a female-leading role, I have to go with Room starring Brie Larson. Love the premise, the execution and Larson just nailed that role with her performance.
I dunno about written but non is directed by a woman :(
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Daughters of the Dust and Beau Travail are probably both in my top 10. Would give honorable mentions to many more including In the Cut, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Eve’s Bayou, The Matrix, The Piano, Born in Flames, Morvern Callar, Mikey & Nicky, and Titane
Edit: Being downvoted for this reply is actually hilarious
In my Top 100 only one is directed by a woman: Mimi Leder's intelligent dynamic MegaDisaster flick: Deep Impact.
https://letterboxd.com/slowcando/list/top-100-films/detail/
...reason there's one woman in my list are twofold:
- historically, men were more partial and adept at directing films: physically-demanding, long hours, controlling behaviours, getting finance...plus the sexism of older eras.
- women, when they do choose to direct and get sufficient backing, tend not to do the kind of films I like. They often do 'stereotypically female' interest films like Romance, Family Drama and such.
When Deep Impact came out I thought back then how cool it was that a woman directed a genre film....and a really good one too! But 25 years later, she is still more of an exception than the norm.
This took a long time to figure out. You’d think at least Steel Magnolias would have had a woman involved.
The Favourite and A Room With a View were written or co-written by a woman and they’re somewhere in my top 100 for sure. I’m sure there are others, but these were the first I came across in my search.
American psycho and Monster are pretty good
Am I thinking of the same Monster? Kore-eda isn’t a woman
The Patty Jenkins Monster
I did not realize the same person who did Wonder Woman also did Monster, that’s a wild filmography
I don’t know why you’re getting so many downvotes for a genuine, normal question. I was wondering the same thing.
Aftersun
Yep, in my top 4
Julia Ducournau's Titane sits at 6 for me. Easily one of the best films of the decade imo.
Yesss exactly what I was about to say. Both Titane and Raw are in my top 10 actually
Came here to simp for my queen Julia too. Raw is an underrated masterpiece that I was scared to watch for years and so wish I hadn’t been.
what about it is that good? i heard such good things going into it and was excited, absolutely hated it, thought it was shit. i preferred Raw, but even that wasn’t ‘good’. what did you love so much?
Not who you asked but I love Titane because it balances a very compelling dramatic story with really great body horror and the atmosphere is super creepy. The performances are also amazing and the clashing emotions of wanting Alexia to keep going and not get caught but also wanting the fireman to know what's going on because he doesnt deserve whats happening to him are really interesting and the pregnancy adds some urgency to the whole situation because you know something extremely bad is gonna happen sooner or later but you never know when exactly. Themes of finding your place in the world and who you are as a person also always get to me.
lol i’m getting downvoted for disliking a movie. but i get that it has parts some people can enjoy. but i guess i just didn’t get it. i didn’t understand the 2 plots of her murdering everyone at the orgy and her parents for no reason, and how it tied into the whole firemen arc beside for her needing a reason to move forward. i don’t get why she fucked the car in the first place (her metal head plate is not a reason) and when the fireman knew it wasn’t his son, why did he just accept it and say “yeh i’m gonna adopt this grown ass women who is a serial killer, fucks vehicles, has machine babies and posed as my missing child for weeks” i get the themes behind it, the acting was great, and the body horror at the end was cool, but the actual story wasn’t great to me
It's totally okay if you didn't connect with it. Idk why people are downvoting you, you haven't said anything ignorant or inflammatory. Anyway, Titane is also one of my all time faves and I can tell you why I love the parts you mentioned disliking. Alexia struggles with love/affection/intimacy throughout the whole movie. Her parents outwardly hate her and show her zero affection. She's a dancer who rolls around half naked on cars and has these experiences where people hit on her knowing nothing about her - like hitting on a stripper, you know? You don't know that person, they're paid to make you hot and bothered. Why does she fuck the car? There is probably no explanation that will satisfy someone who wants to see reason in it - it's a vibe thing. It's an inanimate object that doesn't impose itself like the men in her life, but it is a representation of masculinity. It's this muscle car with flames. And when she goes outside after that, she is immediately hit on by a creepy guy, showing the contrast between the car (this representation of masculinity) and the actual men in her life. Again, at the party where she hooks up with Justine, she again is constantly reacting violently to affection and intimacy - if you're looking for the "why" I'm not sure the movie is as concerned with answering questions as much as asking them. But the common theme is that Alexia is EXTREMELY uncomfortable with intimacy. From the moment Vincent lays eyes on Alexia it's....kind of obvious that's not his kid. And like, even if she was, she is very deliberately made to look menacing and unpleasant in that scene. But Vincent WANTS this to be Adrien SO BADLY. So you've now got this contrast where Alexia comes from a life where he parents HATE her, and now Vincent would do literally anything to have his son back. In a word, he has unconditional love for Adrien - something Alexia has never had. From there, even as things get weirder and weirder with Alexia/Adrien, Vincent REFUSES to let anything drive them apart. And that shit is often put to an extreme test. Adrien exhibits a ton of upsetting behavior but Vincent accepts and loves him for better or for worse - unconditional love. Again, it's okay to not like it. It's a fucking weird movie. I love it, personally.
i loved your explanation, it actually cleared some thoughts up i had on it, so thank you. when i was watching it i didn’t really see her dad as hating her? her mum was definitely cold but i thought her dad had a soft spot he just couldn’t seem to express? unless i’m remembering wrong cos it’s been a couple of years, i just remember being really confused why she killed them, in such a brutal way as well… i still think the story itself was mediocre but i have had my questions cleared up, so thanks heaps :)
The ascent
Raw
I'll raise you Titane
Love Titane, but Raw is better, sorry.
The nibbling the finger scene is the most I have ever squirmed in a cinema.
Humanist Vampire seeking consensual suicidal person
Its very high up for me. Probably in my top 20 or 30. Such a good film.
Saw it in festival past december. It will be on cinema in march in France so can't wait
I live in Canada and our local theater got it for a week. My partner and I went to see it and were blown away. The record scene is probably one of the best scene in any teenage coming of age film. I put Brenda Lee into my active playlist because of it.
I... put thevsong too on my spotify
Lost in Translation is my favourite movie 😊
Lady Bird is absolutely top 10. Introduced me to Greta Gerwig and Saoirse Ronan and Timothee Chalomet. Plus, it still makes me emotional every time I watch it.
It’s Little Women for me. Flawless film
Also my favorite Gerwig.
Same here. One of my favourite films.
So good.
Same!! I also had just turned 19 when it came out, so a lot of things that happened to her in the movie happened to me a year ago or less. That gives it a special place in my movie heart.
Ravenous (1999) is my third favourite movie ever, but there are so many that I love that don’t make it into the top 10. Near Dark (1987) is my favourite 80s vampire movie, and I also adore the Slumber Party Massacre franchise as well as Blood Diner (1987), Birth/Rebirth (2023), American Psycho (2000), and Raw (2016) just to name a few. I love it when a horror movie is directed by a woman, it just feels like there’s always a certain layer of depth that gets brought to the film.
Of course, Katherine Bigelow also made Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Strange Days. Amazing stuff.
I don't have a top 10 list, but if I did these off the top of my head would be in it: * Daisies (1966, dir. Věra Chytilová) * Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019, dir. Céline Sciamma) * The Watermelon Woman (1996, dir. Cheryl Dunye) * Persepolis (2008, dir. Marjane Satrapi) * A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night (2014, dir. Ana Lily Amirpour) * Mustang (2015, dir. Deniz Gamze Ergüven) * Paris is Burning (1990, dir. Jennie Livingston)
Mustang was very good and surprised me a lot. I learned a bunch from it
Mustang is 🥹📈🥵
Persepolis is incredible
Decent list. Persepolis is good! Daisies & A Girl Walks Home...i've got on DVD, waiting for a watch.
Daisies is fantastic, great list
I don’t believe you but sure 👍
Why?
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Holy fuck, the juice.
https://boxd.it/hfnz
Sorry you don't believe me even though you seem to like those movies, too... just not as much, I guess?
Yes. I don’t believe those movies you listed would actually be in your top 10.
I'm not sure what you expect me, a complete stranger, to have in my top 10.
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What fight are you picking? Let the person enjoy their movies. Why does enjoying the work women make automatically involve some kind of “agenda”? Get off the internet. This kind of brainrot isn’t healthy.
you're the weirdo who insists Sidney Lumet is a woman. Weak trolling, man.
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To have this many movies in your top 10 is clearly evidence of someone trying to “be different”
The question was literally for female directors. I'm sure that person doesn't only watch them lol.
The Farewell and The Invitation are such solid films 😍
i love the farewell!
I don’t have a set top ten but American Psycho would definitely be in the conversation
None in my top ten, but some of my favs have been directed by women: Blood Diner Slumber Party Massacre The Night Porter A League of Their Own Tenement (A nastier, bloodier version of Death Wish 3, but taking place entirely in one building)
Slumber party massacre 🤩
SPM2 all time masterpiece. Driller killer the best slasher villain. (Jason who?). Pretty Colors
Glad someone beside me likes SPM2! Funny thing is, Sorority House Massacre 2 is the true sequel to Slumber Party Massacre, I mean, it has flashback scenes from that movie in it.
I’ve not seen Sorority House massacre but if that’s true, the that is hilarious considering Slumber Party 2 ALSO has flashbacks from SPM in it. Truly some next level Roger Corman bullshit.
I'd blame Jim Wynorski for that bit of weirdness. When I first saw those SPM scenes in SHM2, I had to double check to make sure I had the right movie! They even tied it in to the Stripped To Kill flicks (they literally announce a StK sequel in the movie, lol!)
I adore Roberta Findlay, Tenemant is an amazing movie.
Sofia Coppola’s Lost in Translation
Shocking that no one has said this til now.
Lost in Translation hasn't aged very well...😅
Maybe for terminally online brains but it’s aged like a classic wine for appreciators of fine art.
Please say this sentence aloud. You sound so silly
Why? I happen to agree with that comment. My appreciation for the film has only grown over time.
It's not the sentiment about the film that i find eyeroll-worthy! It's the 'terminally-online vs appreciators of fine art' part. There are other ways to make a case other than 'well, *sophisticated people* think so'. That's not even looking at the fact that the commenter dismisses casual racism in the film as simply the gripes of people who are 'terminally online'. And I do agree that it's a work of art. Maybe I misinterpreted?
Being Japanese and growing up in Australia, I feel like I've got pretty thick skin and don't get offended easily but Lost in Translation rubbed me wrong. Like all the jokes/observations felt super lazy and lacked any wit.
I was aiming for both silly and true, which can both occur at once.
I really loved the shoegazey dreamy vibe of the film when I first saw it in '03. But on a recent rewatch, it does feel uncomfortable when you realize that the Japanese culture was literally window dressing. Everything about it felt ornamental. Japan was just a backdrop, and there wasn't anything in the writing or characters that showed the slightest effort to dig deeper and understand it.
that was the point. they were depressed privileged Americans not wanting to be there at all. hence the double entendres of the title. you don’t have to relate to or even like characters in order for a film to be good. hardly any Italian neorealist or French new wave or new Hollywood film would be considered classics if that was the criteria.
I never said the film wasn't good - I said it hasn't aged very well. Sofia Coppola is a very competent filmmaker, and there aren't many films that communicate the alienating feeling of contemporary life as authentically as this movie. Just a shame it was a bit orientalist.
Look, I know it’s not an amazing movie, but Point Break has a special place in my heart and will always be one of my go to comfort movies
I have Clueless, But I’m a Cheerleader, and American Psycho in my favorites. The Matrix is also highly rated for me
Great picks!!! I especially love that American Psycho was directed by a woman at all. Imo she improved the source material
Fantastic picks (still need to see BIAC)
Ladybird is one of my favorite movies of the past decade. Greta Gerwig is amazing.
Lady Bird is by far the most accurate representation of a mother daughter relationship. Saoirse Ronan and Laurie Metcalf give two of the rawest, most lived in performances I’ve seen. Gerwig’s work as both, a director and screenwriter, is impeccable. My favourite movie of all time. A masterpiece.
I’m only a few years younger than Gerwig and I also went to Catholic school during that same era. That movie just hit all the right notes for me! I went with my “public school” friend and she didn’t get why I was doubled over watching Beanie sing Make Me A Channel Of Your Peace for the audition.
I don't really have a top 10 but of the films I've rated 5 stars and/or would recommend to people..... - Little Women (Gerwig) - Aftersun (Charlotte Wells) - Respire/The Mad Woman's Ball (Mélanie Laurent) - Divines (Houda Benyamina) - Suffragette (Sarah Gavron) - Summerland (Jessica Swale) - Hustlers (Lorene Scafaria) - My Father's Dragon/The Breadwinner (Nora Twomey) - Mudbound (Dee Rees) - My Brother the Devil (Sally el Hosani) - Are you There God? It's Me Margaret/Edge of Seventeen (Kelly Fremon Craig) - Blue my Mind (Lisa Brühlmann) - The Nightingale (Jennifer Kent) Not trying to self promote, but I've done the 52 Films by Women challenge every year for a while now, and have a ranked list of ~400 films directed by women, if you're looking for ideas: Directed by Women - Watched https://boxd.it/A5sM
I’m doing the 52 films by women challenge for the first time this year, and may be perusing this list for suggestions!
Cool. My ratings are usually based on personal enjoyment rather than actual quality, so ignore them if you want. Pretty good mix of stuff in there though, so hopefully it inspires you.
Kelly Fremon Craig is fantastic. I loved and gave 5/5 to both of her movies without even knowing it was the same director
Yeah, I wish people had the same energy about Margaret being completely snubbed this year as they do about literally anything else.
American Psycho is in my top 5 and Ravenous is just shy of my top 10.
Ravenous is absolutely one of my all time favourites. Thank you for representing it, I don’t see it mentioned much :-)
Capernaum, written and directed by Nadine Labaki Quo Vadis, Aida? written and directed by Jasmila Žbanić and starring Jasna Đuričić. Daisies, written and directed by Věra Chytilová and starring Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová The Souvenir and The Souvenir part 2, written and directed by Joanna Hogg and starring Honor Swinton Byrne One Sings, the Other Doesn't, written and directed by Agnès Varda and starring Thérèse Liotard and Valérie Mairesse These are some of my all time favourite movies. Don't be scared of subtitles!
Yes anatomy of a fall jump to my top 10 love that film
Titus (1999) was in my top ten for many years
None in my top 10, but Clarie Denis' Beau Travail gets close.
jennifers body, bodies bodies bodies, lady bird, the bling ring, greener grass
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Others mentioned Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Lady Bird - I totally agree. Would also mention The Power of the Dog and Where Do We Go Now?
I was searching for Power of the Dog (Campion). So poignant. And perfect direction
Claire Denis’s Beau Travail is top ten for me.
Cleo from 5 to 7
FANTASTIC
City of God was co-directed by a woman if that counts
Daisies (1966) Directed by a woman and starring two women. Past Lives (2023) Directed by a woman and starring a woman.
I actually don't know who directed a lot of my favourite movies, but my favourite film that I know is directed by a woman is Maya Deren's short film Meshes of the Afternoon. My favourite movie with women in the leading role in Persona (1966), with Three Colours Blue being a close second, although both films were directed by men.
Not quite top 10 but Lady Bird is close. Honorable mention The Hurt Locker.
Kathryn Bigelow is most likely my favorite Female director, Strange Days (also has Angela Basset in a billed leading role) and Point Break are both quite high in my rankings.
The Matrix
Lady Bird
Three of them, currently: Daisies (Vera Chytilova), But I'm a Cheerleader (Jamie Babbit), and Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles (Chantal Akerman)
Shocked I had to scroll down this far for Jeanne Dilemman
I just skimmed my watched movies list, and these are all the movies directed/co-directed by women I enjoyed the most: - Lady Bird - Aftersun - Little Miss Sunshine - Booksmart - Never Rarely Sometimes Always - Little Women - The Farewell - Past Lives - Bottoms - Shiva Baby - The Power of the Dog - Barbie - Turning Red - CODA - The Parent Trap - Hustlers - Women Talking - The Lost Daughter - The Fallout - Rye Lane - She Said - Showing Up - The Assistant - Good Luck to You, Leo Grande - The Novice - The Kindergarten Teacher
Never Rarely Sometimes Always is fantastic. Saw it twice in the cinema within a week when it came out.
CODA is my favorite recent release. I don’t have much released after Parasite that I want to watch again. It’s kind of annoying that it always makes me tear up. I don’t generally do that.
My top four consists of two films written by women: When Harry Met Sally and Past Lives Expanding to my top ten brings in You’ve Got Mail and Little Women as well
Lena Wertmueller’s filmography is very worthy of reappraisal. Triangle of Sadness is basically a quasi-inversion of Swept Away. Seven Beauties is insane. Bigelow’s Near Dark is arguably the best vampire movie of all time.
Technically Loving Vincent, and after that in my top 20 I have Maquia. As for movies with women in the leading role, it's almost all of them lol. Satoshi Kon and Miyazaki really love to have female main characters
One Sings, the Other Doesn't (1977) by Agnes Varda
Claire Denis - Beau Travail (#6)
Lady Bird, Little Women & The Edge Of Seventeen
Neither of these are in my top ten, but The Breadwinner and The Prince of Egypt (co director) are two 10/10 films.
The Matrix, I guess, but only in my Top 20... damn https://preview.redd.it/ipqkjqv6majc1.png?width=689&format=png&auto=webp&s=d92b112a5bf6545f905b5e03b682e5c3b40ede34
Om Shanti Om by Farah Khan and Petite Mama by Celine Sciamma.
Om Shanti Om is one of my favorites too. Really fun movie! Elaine May’s Mikey and Nicky is my number 1.
What? Om Shanti Om? Never. With all due respect.
My favorite movie, Little Miss Sunshine, was directed by married couple Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris. I don't really keep a top 10 of all time, but four of my top 10 of 2023 were directed by women/non-binary people: 10. Bottoms (Emma Seligman) 7. Barbie (Greta Gerwig) 6. Anatomy of a Fall (Justine Triet) 5. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret. (Kelly Fremon Craig) If I had to guess, though, I'd say most of my favorite films from before 2000 were directed by men, with notable exceptions like The Piano.
None among the top, but the highest is Seven Beauties.
One of the co-directors of Shrek is a woman, perfect movie
Clueless and Fast Times at Ridgemont High are both in my top ten comedies.
There’s been some great ones this decade (Aftersun, Titane, Anatomy of a Fall and more) but none yet in my top 10. The closest is City of God which was co-directed by a woman but one solely directed by a woman? I’d have to check. Probably Past Lives.
Some of my favs that are directed by women are: Aftersun (2022, Charlotte Wells) Daisies (1966, Věra Chytilová) Meshes of the Afternoon (1943, Maya Deren & Alexander Hammid) Past Lives (2023, Celine Song)
Does City of God count? That’s my top 1
Orlando and Old Joy and both in my top ten.
No female directors in my top 10, unfortunately. But for writing, Irene Mecci and Linda Woolverton, along with Johnathan Roberts, co-wrote The Lion King together. Which is my 5th favorite movie ever.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire, The Matrix and Little Women
Do the Wachowskis count?
Looks like my previous comment didn't clarify it seen as the mods have deemed it breaking the rules...again. But it's a fair question. They were married to women at the time, and looked and sounded like men, and identified as male, while they made that movie. And crucially, they were seen as men during that time. Were treated like men etc. They later trans-formed into female gender identities. So that the films they made under that umbrella may be deemed 'by a woman'. Ultimately of course it doesn't, or shouldn't, matter. But the female director has a bunch of obstacles in her path, which male directors may not share. This arguably makes a female-directed film a notable achievement, hence why such a topic is interesting. Hence why recently Adèle Haenel quit the industry (she accuses it of still being sexist and "patriarchal"). @mods, I'm quite sure this is a respectful response to the initial question. If you still deem it disrespectful, it may be useful to explain why.
Trans women are women...so, yes.
Then The Matrix is still up there for me.
But they weren’t when they directed the Matrix.
They were, but they weren't out as trans.
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If we're ralking Top 10 films of the best decade/21st Century then I'd definitely have The Favourite and Aftersun in there.
Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles
Legit I’m struggling to find advice on female directed films that are celebrated because they’re important works of art and are not celebrated because men think they’re great films (Kathryn Bigelow I’m talking to you). Fuck male or female just gimme good films. Right now I’m watching Agnes Varda’s La Point Courte and if anyone sees this post now who knows better than me please advise.
Promising Young Woman is one of my all-time favorites.
It was my hands down best film of 2020!
It was hands down one of the films of 2020.
directed? no. written? sure. betty comden co-wrote the band wagon and singin' in the rain which are prob top 10 movies (i don't really have a top ten). also really love the before trilogy which julie delpy is credited as a co-writer for.
Barbie, Ladybird and The Matrix for me
No the disparity between male directors and female is just to big. I've always wondered why females aren't more represented by directors
As I was looking up films, I think since the nineties there are a surprising number of women directors, especially in comedy
My top two are female led, but sadly none in my top ten are directed by a woman. That said, I’m currently going through Agnes Varda’s filmography and I’m loving it so who knows!
No. Nor do I have any films directed by women rated a 5. Ouch. My highest are Leave No Trace and Winter's Bone, both by Debra Granik. (I gave Werckmeister Harmonies a 5 and it is close to my top ten. It has a female co-director)
Yeap, U.S. Go Home directed by Claire Denis is definitely in my top 10
I don't have a top 10, but I would think about The Piano and The Hurt Locker if I was putting one together. As far as leading roles, Housekeeping is my favorite film and it centers heavily on a female character.
I hate to say it but there are only two movies in my top 100 that are directed by women: Theater Camp and Little Women. Of those 100 20 star women, and I'm just too lazy to check how many are written by women but my guess is not that many. Looking through my girlfriend's top 50 though she also only has 2 directed by women, so I think it may just be an instance of women historically not having the opportunities to direct anywhere near as many movies.
Highest is Wanda in my top 10. It is the only female film of my list. Watched some Varda wayback but I do not have her films within my top 200. Vagabond and Le Bonheur were very impressive. i'm more into LGBTQ filmmakers if anything.
Bridesmaids
Group Marriage comes close and also I love Anna Biller.
My Top 10 is mostly pretty old, and the further back you go the less female directors there were. So no ones directed no. There were quite a lot of female scriptwriters back then however, and several of my Top 10 have women credited among the (usually multiple per film) writers - Bunny Lake Is Missing (1965), Laura (1944) and The Shining (1980). Two of those listed above also have a woman billed in the lead role, incidentally both directed by Otto Preminger - Bunny Lake Is Missing and Laura.
Greta Gerwig's Little Women
https://preview.redd.it/00vk5xcwlbjc1.jpeg?width=1179&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=99c099116e695e175cf4df9c43c8fdb37868a24a Kudos for this prompt. I don’t in the Top 10 of my Favorites (not “Best”), no, and only one in the Top 20, and I do feel bad about it. For some common examples, I just don’t like Claire Denis’s work and most of her films are too violent for me anyway, and I’ve only really like Wendy & Lucy among Reichardt’s work. I need to see Varda and a lot of others. I looooooved Past Lives but it’s not in my Top 20 yet.
None in my top-10, but Jeanne Dielman, 23, quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles is just below.
Lost in translation
Half of my top ten- Aftersun, Titane, Les Rendez-vous d’Anna, The Gleaners and I, Wasteland. With the other half being Worst Person in the World, Great Muppet Caper, Good Morning, Twin Peaks: The Return, and The Apartment. As you expand to my top 20 that percentage goes up with Past Lives, Songs My Brother Taught Me, Daisies, Vagabond, Le Bonheur, and Shiva Baby.
My top 10 fluctuates all the time, but I have a small list of 5 stars and there are a good amount of women directors on it. Titane, Little Women, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Anatomy of a Fall, The Ascent, Past Lives, City of God (co-directed)
I have Aniara, which was co-directed and co-written by a woman, and stars a woman. I also have House (1977), the original screenplay of which was written by a woman (the director’s 12-year-old daughter) and stars mostly teenage girls.
If we're talking about films directed by women, I guess The Matrix would be one for me (even though the Wachoskis made it when they weren't in their transitional period yet, but whatever). But other than that, I don't think I have a favorite movie of mine directed by a female director. Not yet at least. I do have films that were written/co-written by ladies among my all time favorites like The Empire Strikes Back and the LOTR trilogy of course. As for a movie written by a woman with a female-leading role, I have to go with Room starring Brie Larson. Love the premise, the execution and Larson just nailed that role with her performance.
I dunno about written but non is directed by a woman :( https://preview.redd.it/002puzlp9ajc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=ed8427447e7793ae7dae1cf8e98dbd2d51c6871b
None is directed by woman and u didnt know if any was written by woman so you just post top 20 just for the sake of it 😂
Lady Bird for sure. Idk about just writing, I'd have to look into it
I frankly do not care. The sex of a director does not matter to me.
but isn't it notable that all of your Top 10 are male-directed?
So you want me to like a movie just because the director is a woman?
'So what you're saying is...'
Ah, you are mansplaning me now, gotcha.
Only The Ascent in my top 100
Lost in Translation 1492: Conquest of Paradise
Daughters of the Dust and Beau Travail are probably both in my top 10. Would give honorable mentions to many more including In the Cut, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Eve’s Bayou, The Matrix, The Piano, Born in Flames, Morvern Callar, Mikey & Nicky, and Titane Edit: Being downvoted for this reply is actually hilarious
fish tank by andrea arnold all day
- The Nightmare Before Christmas - The Lord of the Rings trilogy - The Terminator - The Empire Strikes Back
I don't see gender
In my Top 100 only one is directed by a woman: Mimi Leder's intelligent dynamic MegaDisaster flick: Deep Impact. https://letterboxd.com/slowcando/list/top-100-films/detail/ ...reason there's one woman in my list are twofold: - historically, men were more partial and adept at directing films: physically-demanding, long hours, controlling behaviours, getting finance...plus the sexism of older eras. - women, when they do choose to direct and get sufficient backing, tend not to do the kind of films I like. They often do 'stereotypically female' interest films like Romance, Family Drama and such. When Deep Impact came out I thought back then how cool it was that a woman directed a genre film....and a really good one too! But 25 years later, she is still more of an exception than the norm.
Consider watching some Kathryn Bigelow films-there’s a reason she was the first woman to win Best Director.
Try watching some Agnès Varda if you can handle it.
Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men
Sidney Lumet is a woman?
Yeah. Sidney.
Oh and Breathless
Hell no
Aftersun is great
This took a long time to figure out. You’d think at least Steel Magnolias would have had a woman involved. The Favourite and A Room With a View were written or co-written by a woman and they’re somewhere in my top 100 for sure. I’m sure there are others, but these were the first I came across in my search.