Cinema Femme’s Top 10 Films of 2025
I often think about a particular scene from the second series of “Fleabag” as the year draws to a close. Kristin Scott Thomas’s character, Belinda, is at a bar with the show’s titular heroine (Phoebe Waller-Bridge) after winning an award. Their discussion, however, steers away from her esteemed accomplishment and instead focuses on menopause, celebrating […]
Reclaiming the Self: Carolina Cavalli on the Strange Beauty of “The Kidnapping of Arabella”
Italian filmmaker Carolina Cavalli has quickly emerged as one of the most original voices in contemporary cinema. Born in Milan, Cavalli made her feature debut with “Amanda” (2022), which premiered at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals and introduced her signature blend of melancholy, absurdity, and quiet tenderness. She later co-wrote “Fremont” (2023) with […]
“Let’s not forget Afghanistan”: Anaita Wali Zada on her acting debut in “Fremont”
“My poems and songs have no flavor without you.” The above quote comes from my coverage of this past July’s Indy Shorts International Film Festival in Indianapolis. The words were uttered at the end of the short documentary “Ayenda” (which translates as “future”), directed by Marie Margolius. This is a documentary about a group of […]
BEYOND BARBIE: Ten must-see films now playing, including the new Joyce Carol Oates doc, Linh Tran’s feature debut, and the sensual coming-of-age gem “Piaffe”
Besides Greta Gerwig’s history-making “Barbie,” which became both the highest-grossing film of the year as well as the highest-grossing film directed by a woman, another of the most pleasurable experiences I recently had in a movie theater was seeing Emma Seligman’s “Bottoms.” Every frame and line in that film is LOL. If you go with […]
First-time filmmaker Carolina Cavalli explores friendship through a deadpan lens in “Amanda”
Like “Napoleon Dynamite” and “Ghost World,” the Italian gem “Amanda” is unconventionally funny and dark. As in these films, there is a longing from the protagonist for a friendship that can fill the lonely void in their life, and together, these friendships add to their own fantastical realities. These are the onscreen worlds I like […]