January 2018 Film Preview
January is here with a collection of women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films that range from kick-ass to life-altering to eye-opening. The month begins with “In Between’s” premiere on January 5. This film takes a look at the lives of three Palestinian women trying to break from the traditional binds placed on them in Tel Aviv. January 9 follows with a story of redemption and second chances: “Almost Paris” is about a banker moving back home after his life falls apart in the wake of the mortgage lending crisis.
January 12’s releases have women making bold decisions and coming of age. “My Art” follows a middle-aged artist exploring new things about herself while house-sitting for a friend in upstate New York. Her journey is proof that self-discovery can happen at any age. Jeanne goes through a similar journey of discovery in “A Woman’s Life” when her marriage is revealed to be just an illusion and lie. The bold “Proud Mary” stars Taraji P. Henson as an assassin whose life gets turned upside down when she meets a young boy during a hit.
The past and life catch up to the characters from the end of the month’s films. Out January 19, Bethany Ashton Wolf’s “Forever My Girl” centers on a man confronting his past and the truth of his cowardly behavior when he returns home for a funeral. Meanwhile, January 26’s “Please Stand By” is the tale of a woman who escapes her home and goes on a life-changing journey to get her “Star Trek” script produced.
Here are all of the women-centric, women-directed, and women-written films debuting in January. All descriptions are from press materials unless otherwise noted.
January 5
“In Between” — Written and Directed by Maysaloun Hamoud
“In Between” captures the daily duality of three young Palestinian women in Tel Aviv, caught between hometown tradition and big city abandon, and the price they must pay for a lifestyle that seems obvious to many: the freedom to work, party, fuck, and choose.
“Molly’s Game” (Opens in Wide Release)
The true story of Molly Bloom (Jessica Chastain), an Olympic-class skier who ran the world’s most exclusive high-stakes poker game for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports stars, business titans, and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey (Idris Elba), who learned there was much more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.
“Blame” — Written and Directed by Quinn Shephard (Also Available on VOD)
It’s the start of a new year at a small suburban high school. Abigail (writer-director Quinn Shephard) is an outcast who seeks solace in the worlds of the characters she reads about, much to the amusement of her manipulative classmate, Melissa (Nadia Alexander). When an intriguing new drama teacher (Chris Messina) casts Abigail over Melissa in Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” Abigail’s confidence blooms, and soon her relationship with Jeremy begins to move beyond just fantasy. Melissa, fueled by vengeful jealousy, begins to spiral out of control and concocts a plot against Abigail. This triggers a chain of events that will come to affect everyone around them.
“The Strange Ones” — Co-Directed by Lauren Wolkstein
Mysterious events surround two travelers (Alex Pettyfer and James Freedson-Jackson) as they make their way across a remote American landscape. On the surface all seems normal, but what appears to be a simple vacation soon gives way to a dark and complex web of secrets.
“In The Land of Pomegranates” (Documentary) — Written and Directed by Hava Kohav Beller (Opens in NY)
“In the Land of Pomegranates” is a suspenseful, multi-layered documentary about a group of young people who were born into a violent and insidious ongoing war. They are young Palestinians and Israelis invited to Germany to join a retreat called “Vacation From War,” where they live under the same roof and face each other every day. Interwoven into this intense footage, adding context, the film also follows other embattled lives in the Occupied Territories and Israel: a mother and her four children living in the shadow of the wall abutting Gaza; an imprisoned Palestinian and the subsequent path he’s taken; an Israeli survivor of a suicide bombing; and a daring Palestinian mother whose son’s life is saved by an Israeli doctor. They are all caught in the duality of the pomegranate: will they embrace rebirth and each other’s humanity, or will they pull the pin on the grenade?
“Goldbuster” — Directed by Sandra Kwan Yue Ng
A quirky internet star, a pair of retired gangsters, and the black sheep of a prolific family of herbalists are a few of the oddball tenants that call the dilapidated apartments of Humble Grove home. Fearful of being locked out by a ruthless property developer with his eye on the building, they’ve stayed inside for years. So, when supernatural incidents befall them all on one night, instead of running, they turn to flamboyant ghost hunter Golden Ling to perform a most unusual exorcism.
“Insidious: The Last Key”
Parapsychologist Dr. Elise Rainier (Lin Shaye) faces her most fearsome and personal haunting yet — in her own family home.
January 9
“Almost Paris” — Directed by Domenica Cameron-Scorsese (Also Available on VOD)
In the wake of the mortgage lending crisis, a former banker (Wally Marzano-Lesnevich) has to return home in order to get back on his feet. “Almost Paris” is a story of resilience and redemption where one can rise up, collaborate, and give back to those he loves in ways that are priceless.
January 12
“Proud Mary”
Taraji P. Henson is Mary, a hit woman working for an organized crime family in Boston, whose life is completely turned around when she meets a young boy she crosses paths with when a professional hit goes bad.
“The Post” — Co-Written by Liz Hannah (Opens in Wide Release)
Katharine Graham (Meryl Streep) is the first female publisher of a major American newspaper — The Washington Post. With help from editor Ben Bradlee (Tom Hanks), Graham races to catch up with The New York Times to expose a massive cover-up of government secrets that spans three decades and four U.S. presidents. Together, they must overcome their differences as they risk their careers — and very freedom — to help bring long-buried truths to light.
“My Art” — Written and Directed by Laurie Simmons (Opens in NY; Opens in LA January 19)
New York City artist Ellie (Laurie Simmons) hopes to gain inspiration in tranquility as she house-sits for a friend in upstate New York. Accompanied by her lovable handicapped dog, Bing, Ellie comes of age — middle age — in her new surroundings.
“Vazante” — Co-Written and Directed by Daniela Thomas (Opens in NY and LA)
Brazil, 1821. Upon his return to the imposing farmhouse, Antonio (Adriano Carvalho), a slave trader, finds out that his wife died in labor. Forced to live in the property with numerous African slaves, he marries his wife’s niece (Luana Nastas). A restless soul, he returns to his trading expeditions, leaving his young wife alone with the slaves.
“A Woman’s Life” — Co-Written by Florence Vignon (Opens in UK)
Normandy, 1819. Jeanne (Judith Chemla) is a young woman full of childish dreams and innocence when she returns home after finishing her schooling in a convent. She marries a local viscount, Julien de Lamare (Swann Arlaud), who soon reveals himself to be a miserly and unfaithful man. Little by little Jeanne’s illusions are stripped away.
“Lover for a Day” — Co-Written by Caroline Deruas-Garrel and Arlette Langmann
After a devastating breakup, the only place 23-year-old Jeanne (Esther Garrel) has to stay in Paris is the small flat belonging to her father, Gilles (Éric Caravaca). But when Jeanne arrives, utterly broken-hearted, she finds her father living with a new girlfriend her own age: Ariane (Louise Chevillotte). Both young women are looking for their own kind of love in a city filled with possibilities.
“Freak Show” — Directed by Trudie Styler; Co-Written by Beth Rigazio
Billy Bloom (Alex Lawther) is one-of-a-kind: a fabulous, glitter-bedecked, gender-bending teenager whose razor-sharp wit is matched only his by his outrageous, anything-goes fashion sense. When his glamorous mother (Bette Midler) is forced to send him to live with his straight-laced father (Larry Pine), Billy finds himself a diva-out-of-water at his new ultra-conservative high school. Undaunted by the bullies who don’t understand him, the fearless Billy sets out to make a big statement in his own inimitable way: challenging the school’s reigning mean girl (Abigail Breslin) for the title of homecoming queen.
“Inside”
Young mother-to-be Sarah (Rachel Nichols) is trying to rebuild her broken life: recently widowed in a shattering car crash that left her partially deaf, with her baby’s birth uncomfortably long overdue, and alone. She can only just stay afloat. As night descends on her deserted suburban street, Sarah receives a most unwelcome visitor. Alone and carrying her baby, Sarah faces a calculating, cold-hearted, and predatory woman — an adversary who will stop at nothing to snatch her unborn child. Trapped and disorientated, barely able to hear the evil that stalks her, Sarah must unleash all her reserves of strength to protect her baby and survive the night.
January 19
“Forever My Girl” — Written and Directed by Bethany Ashton Wolf
“Forever My Girl” tells the story of country music superstar Liam Page (Alex Roe) who left his bride, Josie (Jessica Rothe), at the altar, choosing fame and fortune instead. However, Liam never got over Josie, his one true love, nor did he ever forget the small community where he was born and raised. When he unexpectedly returns to his hometown for the funeral of his high school best friend, Liam is suddenly faced with the consequences of all that he left behind.
“The Leisure Seeker” — Co-Written by Francesca Archibugi
Traveling in their family Leisure Seeker vintage recreational vehicle, John (Donald Sutherland) and Ella Spencer (Helen Mirren) take one last road trip from Boston to the Hemingway House in the Florida Keys before his Alzheimer’s and her cancer can catch up with them.
“Kangaroo: A Love-Hate Story” (Documentary) — Co-Written and Co-Directed by Kate McIntyre Clere (Opens in NY and LA)
This groundbreaking film reveals the truth surrounding Australia’s love-hate relationship with its beloved icon. The kangaroo image is proudly used by top companies, sports teams, and tourist souvenirs, yet as they hop across the vast continent, many consider them pests to be shot and sold for profit.
“Mary and the Witch’s Flower” — Co-Written by Riko Sakaguchi
Mary (Ruby Barnhill) is a plain, young girl, stuck in a rural British village with her great-aunt Charlotte (Lynda Baron) and seemingly no adventures or friends in sight. But a chance encounter with a pair of mysterious cats leads Mary into the nearby forest, where she finds an old broom stuck in the overgrowth of nearby tree, and the strange blue glow of the fly-by-night flower, a rare plant that blossoms only once every seven years. As the broom comes to life and lifts Mary high into the skies, she discovers a mysterious school for witches above the clouds. But the charming headmistress Madam Mumblechook (Kate Winslet) and bumbling Doctor Dee (Jim Broadbent) are not all that they appear, in a twisting tale that reveals even the most ordinary-seeming children are capable of the most extraordinary adventures.
“The Midnight Man”
A girl (Gabrielle Haugh) and her friends find a game in the attic that summons a creature known as the Midnight Man, who uses their worst fears against them.
January 26
“Please Stand By” (Also Available on VOD)
A young autistic woman (Dakota Fanning) runs away from her caregiver in order to boldly go and deliver her 500-page “Star Trek” script to a writing competition in Hollywood. On an adventure full of laughter and tears, Wendy follows the guiding spirit of Mr. Spock on her journey into the unknown.
January 30
“Just Charlie”— Directed by Rebekah Fortune
Young soccer star Charlie (Harry Gilby) has the world at his feet. With a top club desperate to sign him, his future is seemingly mapped out. But the teenager sees only a nightmare. Trapped in the body of a boy, Charlie is torn between wanting to live up to her father’s expectations and shedding this ill-fitting skin. Charlie’s next move will tear the family apart and threaten everything they hold dear.
