50 Female-Directed Movies You Should Watch, Part 2: American Indies

Eden, dir. Megan Griffiths
I know we have a fair number of Once Upon a Time fans who read The Mary Sue, so I’m going to quietly step in and recommend that you all watch Eden, starring our once and future Mulan Jamie Chung. Hell, even if you don’t watch Once, it’s still an excellent movie. In it, Chung plays a Korean-American teen kidnapped and forced into prostitution by a sex trafficking ring. Five billion points go to Griffiths and co-writer Richard B. Phillips for never actually showing any of the characters get raped. The subject matter (based on a true story, by the by) is no less horrifying for the audience not seeing what the girls are forced to do. I for one have had enough exploitative “rape as shock value” storytelling to last me for twelve lifetimes.

Is it on Netflix Instant? No.

Waitress, dir. Adrienne Shelly
This 2007 rom-com got a lot of its buzz in the worst possible way—its director/writer/co-star Shelley was found murdered in her apartment months before what was to be her final film’s release. It’s a twisted dose of bittersweet irony, then, that the message of Waitress is an uplifting one about taking control of your own life to make the years left to you as happy as they can be. Special mention has to go to Waitress being the movie to make Nathan Fillion a rom-com lead, because… well, because this is The Mary Sue. We have a vested interest in Nathan Fillion. It’s natural.

Try your best to ignore the shitty trailer voice-over.
Is it on Netflix Instant? No.

Obvious Child, dir. Gillian Robespierre
Or, if you’re looking for a rom-com that’s a little more off the beaten path, there’s Obvious Child, starring Saturday Night Live alum Jenny Slate as a woman who gets dumped, loses her job, gets pregnant, and decides to have an abortion all in time for Valentine’s Day. Director Robespierre, whom we interviewed here, was very intentional in making a film that doesn’t stigmatize abortion in any way—Slate’s character never gets lectured about her decision, and she never agonizes about whether getting an abortion makes her a horrible person. She just decides to do it, and that’s OK. If I’ve made this movie sound heavy, I should reiterate that it is still a comedy. And one that starts with a joke about vaginal discharge, even. See, this is why we need more movies with female writers and directors!

Is it on Netflix Instant? No.

Humpday, dir. Lynn Shelton
Tell me if this summary doesn’t pique your attention: Ben (Mark Duplass) and Andrew (Joshua Leonard), former best friends who have drifted apart since their college heyday, get a little drunk at a party one night and dare themselves to enter an amateur porn contest. Together. You know, for art. Lynn Shelton’s one of the big names in the mumblecore moment, and as such Humpday is filled with more conversation and character development than its more action-heavy studio counterparts. (I don’t want to spoil things for you by saying whether there’s any, er, action of another sort.) Humpday‘s a solid examination of friendship and sexuality, but what’s stuck with me most since I saw it is that it’s a flipping funny film with really witty dialogue.

Is it on Netflix Instant? No.

The Queen of Versailles, dir. Lauren Greenfield
You might have heard of documentary The Queen of Versailles because it was a smash hit at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and went on to clean up on the film festival circuit. Or maybe you’ve heard about it because its subjects—billionaire couple David and Jackie Siegel, whose hopes of building the world’s largest home were put on hold when the economy crashed in 2008—sued director Greenfield for defamation right before the film made its debut. If you haven’t guessed, the Siegels are a pretty dramatic couple, which makes The Queen of Versailles a decidedly entertaining movie. But it’s not all fun and dogs pooping on the floor of a million dollar mansion: The movie raises a lot of points about the economy and privilege, if not ones that make the Siegels look particularly in-touch with the 99%.

Is it on Netflix Instant? Yes.

Reminder: Have a female-directed movie that you think more people need to see? Drop us a comment making your case, and we might include your selection in our final Friday post. And check back tomorrow for our foreign film list.

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