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Movie of the Week 

MOVIE OF THE WEEK October 23, 2026: MAKING MARIE ANTOINETTE

Jennifer Merin , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Behind-the-scenes glimpses of movies being made aren’t hard to come by, especially in this all-access age of social media and streaming, but few peeks around the curtain feel as personal as Eleanor Coppola’s Making Marie Antoinette. Edited together from the 80-plus hours of footage that Coppola filmed while on the set of her daughter Sofia’s Oscar-winning 2006 drama Marie Antoinette, it’s both a fascinating document of the filmmaking process and a love letter from a mother to her child.

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Lists Weekly Releases 

OPENING October 19 to 25, 2026 – Margaret Barton-Fumo Reports

Margaret Barton-Fumo , ,

The Alliance of Women Film Journalists highlights movies made by and about women. With a vigilant eye toward current releases, we maintain an interactive record of films that are pertinent to our interests. Be they female-made or female-centric productions, they are films that represent a wide range of women’s stories and present complex female characters. As such, they are movies that will most likely be reviewed on AWFJ.org and will qualify for consideration for our annual EDA Awards, celebrating exceptional women working in film behind and in front of the camera.

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Reviews 

WICKER – Review by T.J. Callahan

T. J. Callahan , , , , , , ,

In this medieval materialistic age, it seems the fabric of choice is Wicker. At least in a small village of odd people and strange traditions, lost in time and far, far away where women are repressed and the men like it that way…until the lives of a few begin to splinter. It stars Olivia Colman as an odiferously ostracized fisherwoman who commissions the local basket maker (Peter Dinklage) to weave her a husband. Wicker is an unconventional love story that braids two lost souls together as they navigate infatuation, trust and devotion in this salaciously passionate parable that’s done with humor and heart and an R rating.

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Reviews 

LA BOLA NEGRA – Review by Jennifer Green

Jennifer Green , , , , , , , , , ,

The film is a sweeping three-tale epic weaving together stories from different time periods. Viewers—particularly those with spotty knowledge of Spanish history—might feel a little lost at points early on, but the piece comes together by the end in surprising and poignant ways. Despite some less nuanced elements, Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo have made an epic and visually impacting film that blends reality and fiction together into a single poignant melodrama. There’s plenty here to interest, inspire and move audiences, and the fact that it’s playing well with viewers and critics from diverse countries and cultures says a lot about directors Javier Ambrossi and Javier Calvo’s ability to convey universal themes within a distinctively Spanish story.

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Reviews 

BIG GIRLS DON’T CRY – Review by Sarah Ward

Sarah Ward , , , , , ,

As it’s intended to for Sid Bookman, the 14-year-old New Zealander at the heart of Paloma Schneideman’s hauntingly relatable debut feature, a bellybutton piercing acts as handy shorthand in Big Girls Don’t Cry. Armed with a needle and a teenager’s fortitude for self-inflicted stress to impress, the film’s protagonist punctures her own flesh. Even when the wound swiftly becomes infected, causing the popular crowd that she’s so desperately trying to befriend to snicker — while forcing Sid to wear a midriff-revealing top; this is 2006, when the titular Fergie song released — her new navel jewellery is an evident source of pride. Kudos to Ani Palmer, also working on her first feature, for conveying how the in-between stage that is adolescence is a whirlwind of yearning, trying, searching, striving and flailing, as well as salvaging, and not just when her character is taking the homemade route on body art.

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Uncategorized 

THE OTHER BENNET SISTER – Review by Susan Granger

Susan Granger , , , , , ,

Jane Austen aficionados have devoted so much time to “Pride and Prejudice” characters Elizabeth and Darcy that it may come as a surprise that there’s The Other Bennet Sister, a new BritBox series heralded as a ‘sleeper sensation.’ the often-overlooked middle sister, Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri), is a ‘late bloomer.’ According to her hypercritical mother (Ruth Jones) and apathetic father (Richard E. Grant), among the five ‘eligible’ Bennet daughters, she’s a dismal disappointment – not quick-witted nor beautiful, not energetic nor good at games. Based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel, adapted by Sarah Quintrell, this rich, re-imagined spinoff is an archetypal romantic period drama, exploring the “marriage or misery” dilemma faced by women in that patriarchal period.

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Essays Reviews 

THE INVITE: It’s SENTIMENTAL Remade for International Audiences – Analysis by Jennifer Green

Jennifer Green , , , , , , , ,

Olivia Wilde’s The Invite remakes a Spanish comedy for an international audience. The remake, which launched a bidding war at Sundance and made its European premiere to a capacity outdoor audience of thousands at Locarno in August, premieres Oct. 16 in Spain. That wouldn’t normally be news, but The Invite is a remake of a Spanish film, Sentimental (The People Upstairs), from Barcelona-based writer-director Cesc Gay, and it co-stars Madrid-born Penélope Cruz. Sentimental and The Invite are both entertaining films. They address universal themes of love, relationships and sex, and at the same time they provide clues about their distinct cultures and humor. The difference is that audiences worldwide will watch The Invite and, moreover, will understand the culture and humor as if it were their own.

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Festivals 

NYFF 2026 Main Slate Wrap Up – Margaret Barton-Fumo reports

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Out of thirty-four films in the festival’s Main Slate, nine were directed by women, or just under 25%. More promising, a dozen male-directed films within the Main Slate focused on women’s themes and featured women in leading roles. Out of the festival’s three pinnacle films, the closing night selection, 14th, was directed by Ava DuVernay—although the premiere courted some controversy as many critics and viewers were uneasy with the director’s liberal use of AI to animate historical images. Aside from this definite flaw, 14th makes some effective points, paying special attention to contemporary threats to birthright citizenship under the Trump administration while employing a historical perspective. Several other women-directed or co-directed documentaries made waves within the Main Slate: Yuval Abraham and Rachel Szor’s Naza, is a ruthless, clear-eyed and methodical takedown of Israeli drone warfare and genocide, while Julia Loktev’s My Undesirable Friends: Part II—Exile follows up with the subjects from Part I, the Russian journalists who were forced to flee their own country.

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Festivals Reviews 

LA GRADIVA (NYFF 2026) – Review by Margaret Barton-Fumo

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , , , , ,

Already an accomplished cinematographer, the young French director Marine Atlan recently burst onto the international film scene at this year’s New York Film Festival with her debut feature, the highly acclaimed La Gradiva. Focusing on a group of late teens on a school trip to the ruins of Pompeii, Atlan’s film ebbs and flows with the rhythms of its young subjects, eventually building into a surprising moment of tragedy. Closely attuned to schoolteacher Mme Mercier (Antonia Buresi)’s struggles as a well-meaning educator, Atlan taps into some ancient truths while observing her youthful, energetic leads. It’s admirable for a first-time director to follow her gut so confidently, and La Gradiva will surely have audiences discussing the film—not unlike its spirited subjects—for some time to come.

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Festivals Reviews 

ALL OF A SUDDEN (NYFF 2026) – Review by Margaret Barton-Fumo

Margaret Barton-Fumo , , , , , ,

It’s truly a delight to watch friendships develop and flourish in this film, with the two “Marie”s (Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto) at the center of an impressive ensemble cast. Ryusuke Hamaguchi’s approach is sometimes dry and academic, but working in concert with cinematographer Alan Guichaoua, the director achieves an emotional, effective catharsis. The connection between Efira and Okamoto is pure kismet, transforming Hamaguchi (and co-writer Léa Le Dimna)’s heady dialogue into a moving experience. Those already familiar with Hamaguchi’s work will certainly adore this film, his French-language debut, which is also a good entry point for those who are new to his work. All of a Sudden is a complex, heartfelt film, sure to inspire thoughts and emotions that will continue to resonate after the end credits roll.

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