As an alternative to Femme Filmmaker Friday, this article spotlights the remarkable work of three women, beginning with a tribute to a true legend.

REMEMBERING DOLLY PARTON

I saw Dolly Parton perform at the Chicago Theatre in May of 2008 when I was working there as an usher during college. I wasn’t all that familiar with her work at the time, but was instantly won over by the power of her presence—even from my perch in the upper balcony—not to mention her disarming humor. It wasn’t until I met my wife Rebecca—founder of Cinema Femme and a lifelong fan of the singer—that my eyes were fully opened to not only the singular genius of Parton’s artistry but all the countless ways in which she used her platform for good. 

She was living proof that being a person of devout faith and a champion of human rights—for ALL humans—were not mutually exclusive. Her words of love, empathy and optimism cut through all the ideological barriers in our culture, resulting in her becoming the most beloved American of her time, all the way up until her death on Tuesday at age 80. 

It was a year ago this month that Rebecca and I traveled to Dollywood in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee, and were utterly captivated by its euphoric spirit. To walk through the theme park—which ranks among the best we’ve ever visited—is akin to strolling through Parton’s life, entering meticulous replicas of the places where she grew up and found her voice, leading her to build one of the most extraordinary and inspirational legacies of any artist in history. 

Her views on preserving Earth’s environment in the face of our current climate catastrophe were made crystal clear in her 2023 song, “World on Fire,” which should serve as a rallying cry for us all in this, our hottest year on record. Yet the number I’m concluding this tribute with is the one that has become my absolute favorite of Parton’s career, and has provided Rebecca and I with the fuel to tackle each new day, regardless of any challenges on the horizon: 1977’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” her new rendition of which, released in January, stands as her last—a lasting message for all who will always love her.

“Oh, I’ve been like a captured eagle, 

you know an eagle’s born to fly /

Now that I have won my freedom, 

like an eagle I am eager for the sky”

Listen to the essential Peabody Award-winning podcast, “Dolly Parton’s America,” here.

SAMY BURCH, SCREENWRITER OF “COYOTE VS. ACME”

It makes sense that a person schooled in the art of casting was responsible for writing Todd Haynes’ “May December,” about an actress getting uneasily close to the person she will soon be portraying. That film marked the debut feature script of Samy Burch, who received an Oscar nomination, cementing her status as a major new voice. Her next work as a feature scribe, Kent Jones’ “Late Fame,” is still playing in theaters, and has earned its star Willem Dafoe some of the best reviews of his career. Yet perhaps Burch’s most anticipated work to date is one that very nearly was barred from ever seeing the light of day.

Dave Green’s “Coyote vs. Acme” is not only the best “Looney Tunes” feature-length vehicle to date, but one of the year’s best films, period. How Warner Bros. Discovery originally planned to block the film’s release in order to obtain a tax write-off is unfathomable. Thanks to an impassioned backlash from fans, and the efforts of indie film distributor Ketchup Entertainment to acquire the rights, the picture is finally being released on the big screen tomorrow, and stands as a glorious rebuke to an industry plagued by corrupt mergers and dehumanizing AI. 

There is a monologue delivered by Foghorn Leghorn (Eric Bauza, who brilliantly voices no less than ten iconic Tunes in the picture) that is, in its own way, as chilling as Ned Beatty’s big scene in “Network.” Burch superbly echoes the same sense of entitlement displayed by modern-day billionaires, who justify ridding the planet of clean drinking water in the name of technological advancement. 

The fact “Coyote vs. Acme” also manages to be both laugh-out-loud funny and startlingly touching is what makes it such a joy to watch. There are countless blink-and-you’ll-miss-‘em gags that had Rebecca and me in stitches, while the current reigning deadpan queen Martha Kelly makes even the simplest of lines somehow hilarious. Anchoring the picture is human cartoon Will Forte’s endearing work as a timid lawyer tasked by Wile E. Coyote—in a silent yet wholly expressive performance—with suing the Acme Corporation for its defective products that have proven useless to the ravenous canine in his Sisyphean pursuit of the Road Runner. It’s a profoundly prescient David vs. Goliath tale that builds to a finale so satisfying, you’ll find yourself cheering. 

To find showtimes for “Coyote vs. Acme” near you, visit the film’s official site. “Late Fame” is still screening at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre this weekend.

DAKOTA FANNING, STAR OF “THE SUN NEVER SETS”

Also worthy of applause this weekend is the return of Joe Swanberg, the Chicago-based filmmaker whose uncommonly intimate and bracingly honest micro-budget features served as my gateway to the independent film community—and ultimately my career in film journalism—two decades ago. After a period in which he stepped away from directing to focus more on acting and producing, he is back with perhaps his finest feature since 2012’s “Marriage Material,” providing a star showcase for an actress sorely deserving of one.

Though Dakota Fanning has found recent success on television in shows like “Ripley” and “All Her Fault,” it seems like the industry’s attention has shifted toward her equally gifted younger sister, Elle, who recently received her first Oscar nomination. Yet Dakota has been delivering Oscar-caliber work ever since she was a little girl effortlessly going to toe to toe with A-listers in such pictures as “Man on Fire,” “War of the Worlds,” “Charlotte’s Web,” “Hounddog” and one of my all-time favorite films, Rodrigo García’s “Nine Lives.” 

In “The Sun Never Sets,” Fanning receives one of her most richly layered lead roles to date as Wendy, a woman whose comfortable relationship with an older man, Jack (Swanberg’s frequent collaborator Jake Johnson at his most excruciatingly uproarious), is ruptured when he gives her an ultimatum: take the next six months to see if this is really the life you want. Jack insists he’s doing Wendy a favor, though he secretly believes that all she’ll find in the local Alaskan dating pool are weirdos who “smell like salmon.” 

He certainly doesn’t count on Wendy running into her attractive and still-available ex (Cory Michael Smith, who uncannily channeled Chevy Chase in “Saturday Night”). At the film’s Windy City premiere in May during the Chicago Critics Film Festival, Smith joined Swanberg onstage for the post-film Q&A and admitted that it was painful to watch himself tap into some of his own worst tendencies onscreen. With their improvised dialogue and brutally frank explorations of midlife insecurities, Swanberg’s films have a similar impact on viewers, but in a way I’ve found to be deeply cathartic. The very final moments of “The Sun Never Sets” are so perfectly pitched that I was the first in the packed theater to burst into applause. With mythic superheroes having dominated the summer box office, I can’t imagine a better way to usher in the human-scaled thrills of adult-oriented fall programming than by snagging a ticket to this beguiling gem. 

Joe Swanberg and Cory Michael Smith will be back at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre for Q&As following screenings of “The Sun Never Sets” at 7pm on Friday, August 28th, and at 7:30pm on Saturday, August 29th. For tickets and the full list of showtimes, click here.