matriarchs

dirty

This dank little exploration of the dysfunctional side of educated poverty perks up every time Babz Chula enters the picture. Her kick-ass Angie is a fiftysomething dope grower and sexual dynamo who makes all the whining twentysomethings around her look a tad pathetic. And she's a great cook too. [canada, 1998]

antonia's line

News of this quirky Dutch tale about the indomitable Antonia and her community of outcasts ripped through the women's film viewing community upon its release in 1995. This strong reaction to an earthy little film with powerful messages about independence and freedom of thought helped it stick around art houses until the Academy couldn't ignore it any longer and awarded it an Oscar^® for Best Foreign Language Film. [neth, 1995]

central station

As the hard-bitten Dora, 71-year-old Fernanda Montenegro carries this hard-won tear-jerker--despite the presence of a cute nine-year-old street urchin--on the strength of her character alone. She ably averts old lady clichés coming across as neither decrepit, nor cute, nor maternal. Ultimately, her metamorphosis comes on her own terms. [brazil, 1998]

elizabeth

Never has history been so forceful, so heady, so thrilling. Amid a backdrop of flaming heretics, sumptuous brocades, and sliced necks, Cate Blanchett electrifies as the fiery Virgin Queen. The young Elizabeth exerts her iron will, but never forgets her people and gains political control over a country steeped in patriarchy and mired in religious conflict. She forsakes love her country and emerges a smart, strong, and sexy feminist heroine. Go Liz! [uk, 1998]

a walk on the moon

Mother and daughter attempt to escape the constraints of their conservative Jewish vacation spot during the heady summer of '69. Diane Lane is the young dissatisfied housewife whose muted sexual hunger is fanned by the sexy, sunburnt "Blouse Man". Anna Paquin is teen fury, rebellion and remorse as the daughter whose Bubby announces her arrival into womanhood to the entire camp. And as mom gets down with the "Blouse Man", daughter tries to seduce her reluctant boyfriend. All pay for their illicit deeds, but at least it's the gals who do the rabble rousing. [us, 1999]

pleasantville

A pair of teens is zapped from the cynical '90s into a black-and-white '50s sitcom world. They introduce the concept of independent thought, and before you know it, it's coloured TV. So when Joan Allen's immaculately coifed '50s housewife discovers sexual joy, not only does the tree outside her perfect home burst into flames, but her monochromatic cheeks acquire a splash of colour. Soon she's left her small-minded husband for the soda jerk who's exchanged flipping burgers for painting vibrant nudes. Magical and visually arresting. [us, 1998]

like water for chocolate

This irresistible Mexican feast of magic and passion is the most sensuous foodie movie around. Here an unmarried woman whose life centres on the kitchen transmits her emotions into her cooking with unusual effects on diners. A wedding cake causes guests to burst into tears; and a meal of quail and rose petals arouses one daughter so much, she bursts into flames and races off with a passing revolutionary. [mexico, 1992]

once were warriors

A fierce portrait of the degeneration of Maori culture and pride. Here a family strains to keep it together through a haze of addiction and abuse. As clan matriarch, Beth is stuck between her love of the booze, lust for her eye-blackening hubby, and desire to protect herself and her children. Her daughter Grace, a budding writer, is particularly vulnerable, and the film's devastating finale hits home like none other. [nz, 1994]

crooklyn

Director Spike Lee, not ordinarily known for positive female characters, presents this refreshing growing up story told through the eyes of a young, middle-class African-American girl. The untold story in most families is a strong woman keeping things together, and this family is no exception. Alfre Woodard turns in a fantastic performance as the family matriarch. The 70's soundtrack and costumes are fantastic, and stick around for a hip-hop/Soul Train treat with the final credits. [us, 1994]

enchanted april

A beautifully filmed story of two bored, married women who act on impulse and rent an Italian villa for the month of April. The story revolves around their interactions with two fellow guests at the villa who could not be more different from the English housewives. A small, gentle story of manners and romance. [uk, 1992]

dead man walking

Susan Sarandon is the embodiment of compassion as a nun who befriends and supports an inmate on Death Row (Sean Penn). Here she is forced to face hard truths about her protege and stands by him not because he's innocent nor because she wants to convert him, but simply because he asked for her help. This brave movie, buoyed by profound performances, breaks through Hollywood conventions to explore the true nature of spirituality and the complex cultural issues that lead a man to perform a monstrous deed. [us, 1995]

cookie's fortune

Cookie, the matriarch of a strange southern family in a small southern town, is found shot. The ensuing investigation uncovers secrets that have warped family relationships for decades. Slow, warm, and sexy, this piece features strong performance from an ensemble cast that includes Glenn Close, Liv Tyler, and Lyle Lovett. [us, 1999]

limbo

A moving account of the fragile relationship between a mother, her lover, and her daughter. Mom is a gifted singer who flits from man to man and town to town belting out country-and-western songs in cheap taverns. Her troubled teenaged daughter, a budding writer, yearns for stability and wallows in abusive self pity. When the unlikely trio are trapped on an isolated island, they must face the pain and loss of their shattered pasts and learn to trust each other. The most captivating scene has the feverish daughter reading from an ancient diary around a raging fire deep within the forest. [us, 1999]

hideous kinky

Kate Winslet, in an obvious attempt to leave behind stuffy period dramas, stars as a 70's hippy traipsing through Morocco, with two small daughters in tow. Her search for enlightenment and freedom takes on such rigid proportions that it's as confining as the middle-class life she escaped in England. With one daughter pleading to go home, Winslet's becomes even more determined in her quest to reach enlightenment. The inevitable crisis, although distressing, has a happy ending--a refreshing surprise for those of us accustomed to wayward women being punished in Hollywood films. [uk, 1998]

agnes browne

Angelica Huston stars and makes her directing debut in this hard-luck tale of a Dublin woman coping with 7 children after the death of her husband. Although some of the characters seem underdeveloped and some scenes seem contrived, this film is worth watching for the interaction between Agnes and her best friend while they take driving lessons and ponder the existence of "organisms." [us, 1999]

saving grace

The twist in this giddy dope-fest is that its key perpetrator is not Cheech nor Chong but a prim Cornwall matron. When Grace’s no-good hubby drops dead leaving her a pile of debt, she turns her green-thumb from flowers to weed in order to save her sprawling home. Tending to her hothouse loaded with gooey bud not only frees her from her proper past, but sends the village kooks into a frenzy of toking, choking, and irresistible laughing fits. [uk, 2000]

not of this world

A 30-ish nun’s faith is tested when a jogger thrusts an abandoned baby into her arms. Suddenly, her isolated world expands, and she must wrestle with dilemmas faced by real people. The baby’s mere existence tests others as well: a lonely dry cleaner 's insular world is shaken when he realizes he might be the father; a young birth mother goes into hiding; and a lineup of hopeful prospective adoptive parents forms around the dream of a family. It’s a quiet movie about ordinary people who’ve withdrawn from the world, and it moves in gentle but profound ways. [italy, 2000]

the story of qui ju

Gong Li takes a break from her usual role as concubine or prostitute to that of a pregnant peasant who takes on Chinese bureaucracy in this grim tale of saving face. Qui Ju, the stubborn wife of a wronged husband confronts legal authorities in an effort to extract an apology from the village chief who kicked her husband in the groin. Not just a reflection of the trials of red-tape in China, but a great example of motherly grit, determination, and her struggle for justice. [china, 1992]

mildred pierce

This film noir classic revived Joan Crawford's career and won her the 1945 best actress Oscar®. Crawford plays a doting mother who becomes a successful career woman when her marriage breaks up. The focus of her hard-won success is providing luxuries to her spoiled and conniving daughter. Fights over a snivelling playboy, murder, and lies come between them, as Mildred tries her best to hold her family together. [us, 1945]

bhaji on the beach

This ensemble piece could have been put in almost any category on the site since it features a group of Anglo-Indian women ranging from traditional grandmothers to rebellious 20-somethings. The women plan an off-season day trip from their home in Birmingham to Blackpool. The day unfolds with gossip, romance, family squabbles, hearty laughter, and secrets. A pleasant independent flick about the relationships between generations of women. [uk, 1994]

you can count on me

Sammy (Laura Linney) is a 30-something single mother who plays by the rules in her small. She's a bit lonely, but generally happy with her life. A new boss and a visit from her slacker younger brother, Terry throw Sammy off balance just enough that she starts acting just outside of her "perfect mom/perfect employee" persona. This character-driven film is notable for the focus Terry and Sammy's relationship without becoming cloying or preachy. Characters are painted realistically and there's no pat Hollywood ending. [us, 2000]

the contender

At times this film sticks to its guns a bit too much. There's a point to be made, and sometimes its made at the expense of realistic plot (and with a very indulgent Hollywood ending). However, it's worth seeing for two factors--the first, Joan Allen's performance as a vice-presidential candidate battling right-wing politicos who have unearthed a sexual secret from her past; and the second for the debate over public and private in a woman's political life. Dirty deeds, plot twists and back-room Washington games keep this sometimes too earnest film exciting. [us, 2000]

lovely and amazing

This indie story of mothers and daughters features Brenda Blethyn as the mother of three rather emotionally screwed up daughters. Katherine Keener plays the eldest daugher, and main character, a slightly lost 36 year old mother of one who makes chairs for mice and tries to sell them to ultra-hip LA stores, but ends up working at a photomart. The middle daughter is an aspiring actress with severe body image problems (possibly related to her mother's determination to get liposuction). The youngest daughter is an adopted African-American child (the same age as Keener's character's daughter), who delights in faking drowning. At times funny, sweet, and also painful, this slightly off center but realistic film is definitely worth watching. [us, 2002]

far from heaven

Julianne Moore has made a successful career of playing seemingly simple women who's hearts are slowly revealed through careful words and gestures. In this meticulously crafted period piece, Moore teams with safe director Todd Haynes for a stellar performance as Cathy Witaker, quintessential '50s housewife. Cathy's technicolor perfect world starts to crack at the seams when her husband admits a homosexual problem, not in those words of course. Shaken and alone, Cathy confides in and forms a friendship with the black gardener, touching off a greater scandal than her husband's indiscretion. The beauty of this film and it's star is the delicacy with which it tackles what could have been maudlin. [us, 2002]

bollywood/hollywood

In Deepa Mehta's giddy nod to India & America’s movie-making goliaths, the action takes place somewhere between - in her polyglot home of Toronto. When a young dot com millionaire’s fiancé dies, his weeping mother advises him that ‘the best cure for a broken heart is marriage’. To please her, he embarks on a fake engagement with a gorgeous and multi-talented escort (Toronto-born Lisa Ray achieved fame in India). There’s an imperious grandmother who speaks in Shakespearean quotes and a transvestite chauffeur. Cue the uproarious song-and dance-numbers and join in the good times. [canada, 2002]

my life without me

two women

saving face

A young doctor embarks on a lesbian love affair and her 48-year-old, husband-less mother finds out she’s pregnant. Hiding these secrets from each other and their strict extended family fuels this spunky, feel-good romantic flick about a Chinese family transplanted to New York City where one generation lives according to old country mores and the other seemingly prefers American ways. Mayhem ensues: Who is the baby’s father? Will the mother marry the staid Cho who has pined for her for 15 years? Will the daughter come clean about her girlfriend? Find the answers to these questions and more in this fresh cross-cultural twist on a well-loved romantic formula. [us,a 2005]

the prize winner of defiance, ohio

This is a clever film about a clever woman who supported her family by “contesting”---writing jingles to win appliances, toys, and even cash. Julianne Moore stars as Evelyn Ryan the always optimistic mother of 11 children, and wife of a boozing husband, who supports her children with an incredible knack for advertising. This true story is based on the memoir by one of her children, and features amusing exposition by Evelyn herself as she explains how she came to support her family on prizes. While it’s apparent how much love and respect the children have for her, the story has a melancholic undertone as we wonder why she puts up with her husband drinking away what little money they have. [us, 2005]

brief encounter

Based on a Noel Coward play, this 1945 classic, is the story of a suburban housewife who happens into passionate love in a railway station on one of her weekly trips to town for groceries. Celia Howard stars as Laura, a woman who is wracked by guilt as she remembers the unrequited passion she felt for a stranger all while her husband worries about her nerves. This film captures the subtlety of married love and contrasts it to the roller coaster of emotions brought on by an affair (or the mere thought of one) through glances, swelling Rachmaninoff, and the ever present motif of trains. [uk, 1945]

the upside of anger

Joan Allen seethes with alcoholic rage in this slight film about a mother of 4 talented daughters deserted by her husband. The dysfunction of Allen’s relationships with her daughters, each with her own list of issues, is brought into high-relief by the absence of their father and her seemingly bottomless anger towards his abandonment of the family. Kevin Coster, reprising a common role as a likeable but washed up baseball player, appears as Allen’s drinking buddy and sometime lover. Like kid who always shows up as dinner on the table, gradually becomes a fixture in the family providing some much needed lightness. [us, 2005]

volver

Almodovar does it again. This tour de force stars Penelope Cruz as a mother fighting for her daughter, while battling demons from her own past, including infidelity, incest, and a mother seemlingly back from the dead and living with her sister. With allusions to Two Women, this is being hailed as Cruz's best performance, but the ensemble cast and intricate plot twists, are also big stars. Like the best of Almodovar's films, this one features humor, pathos, drama, and supernatural events, all rolled up into one highly provocative and entertaining package. [spain, 2006]