10 Criterion Collection Gems from Female Filmmakers
By Morgan Roberts
If you’re like me, you look forward to every Criterion sale, aiming to build out your own personal collection. The Criterion Collection has a number of foreign films, hard-to-find films, and films from underrepresented filmmakers. There are countless films directed by women, so if you’re trying to narrow down what to buy during this current sale, or, if you’re like me, and like taking the leap with a blind buy, here are some recommendations for films directed by women. [Please note, this isn’t a sponsorship or anything like that; I just genuinely love the Criterion Collection.]
“Nanny” (2022) dir. Nikyatu Jusu
Aisha (Anna Diop) in “Nanny” (2022) | The Criterion Collection
A film examining the immigrant experience, “Nanny” is a haunting slow burn, utilizing West African folklore to explore life, loss, motherhood, and identity. “Nanny” also takes a critical look at wealth in Western societies as Aisha (Anna Diop) navigates a system designed for her to fail. The film won the Sundance Film Festival’s Grand Jury Prize making it the first horror film to do so, and Jusu the second Black direct to take home that prize. Diop gives a captivating performance, that has you as the audience questioning alongside Aisha, what is reality and what is imagination.
“Smooth Talk” (1985) dir. Joyce Chopra
Friend (Treat Williams) and Connie (Laura Dern) in “Smooth Talk” (1985) | The Criterion Collection
Largely known for her documentary work, Chopra delved into narrative storytelling with “Smooth Talk,” an intimate thriller between 15 year-old Connie (Laura Dern) and a stranger named Friend (Treat Williams). The film primarily takes place between Dern and Williams who give delicately balanced performances, toeing the line between desire and danger. Chopra herself having been interested in girlhood and the layers of it, manages to make the film feel more and more claustrophobic as the film progresses. It is a hidden gem, and one of Dern’s earliest performances as lead, which she admirably carries with ease.
“Saint Omer” (2022) dir. Alice Diop
Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) in “Saint Omer” (2022) | The Criterion Collection
Based off of a real court case in France, Diop’s first venture into narrative feature centers on two women - one in the gallery, the other standing trial - as they both navigate the continued constraints and ramifications of colonialism. Rama (Kayije Kagame) is the Diop surrogate, witnesses Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda) on trial for the murder of her daughter. But the film takes it step further, exploring how Coly’s heritage, her customers, and her existence as a Black woman in France are on trial with her. It is a moving and, at times, unsettling crime drama, spotlighting the French judicial system.
“Dogfight” (1991) dir. Nancy Savoca
Birdlace (River Phoenix) and Rose (Lili Taylor) in “Dogfight” (1991) | The Criterion Collection
This film was covered on the podcast with guest Dylan MacDowell. This was a personal blind buy, and one that remains enchanting, albeit heartbreaking. Birdlace (River Phoenix) and Rose (Lili Taylor) are two young people who meet by chance before Birdlace heads off to Vietnam. It is the hopefulness of love with the looming doom of war, powerfully navigating the two central themes without completely devastating or alienating its audience. It is always fascinating to explore male characters from the female perspective, and Savoca and Phoenix were a perfect filmmaker-actor pair to tell this story.
“Not a Pretty Picture” (1976) dir. Martha Coolidge
Martha Coolidge in “Not a Pretty Picture” (1976) | The Criterion Collection
Part documentary, part narrative film, Coolidge reclaims her truth following a date rape as a teenager. Having frank conversations with the actors in the re-enactments, Coolidge explores the singularity and universality of her survivor story. Coolidge and her actors understand that power is at the core of rape culture, but lean more into exploring the ripple effects of surviving an assault, as well as the rebuilding of one’s life in the aftermath. It is equal parts experimental and personal, willing to allow these two styles of filmmaking to co-exist.
“Desert Hearts” (1985) dir. Donna Deitch
Vivian (Helen Shaver) and Cay (Patricia Charbonneau) in “Desert Hearts” (1985) | The Criterion Collection
Another film covered on the podcast with guest Chels Eichholz, “Desert Hearts” is a sweeping romance between Vivian (Helen Shaver) and Cay (Patricia Charbonneau). Set in Reno as Vivian waits to divorce her husband, the women fall in love while exploring what that love means under the constraints of the homophobic, patriarchal society they live in. Deitch’s keen eye captures the tenderness and complexity of love, with the most breathtaking ending. A staple in queer cinema, “Desert Hearts” was difficult to find for years, and the Criterion Collection has made it accessible for a new generation of audiences.
“Drylongso” (1998) dir. Cauleen Smith
Pica (Toby Smith) in “Drylongso” (1998) | The Criterion Collection
Smith’s only feature film, “Drylongso” is a moving portrait of how art can capture the essence of others long dismissed by society. A coming of age story which centers on Pica (Toby Smith), a 16 year-old girl trying to preserve the existence of the Black men around her as she fears they are becoming extinct due to violence against Black men. Grounded in the Bay Area Black culture of the 1990s, “Drylongso” remains a time capsule of what once was and a story still reverberating in present-day America. Again, this remains Smith’s only feature film, yet she has directed a number of short films. Her vision and voice are clear and prominent throughout the film, one would suspect she had a dozen films under her belt when she directed “Drylongso.” Thank you, Janus Films and the Criterion Collection for preserving this film!
“Chilly Scenes of Winter” (1979) dir. Joan Micklin Silver
Charles (John Heard) and Laura (Mary Beth Hurt) in “Chilly Scenes of Winter” (1979) | The Criterion Collection
A non-linear exploration of the life cycle of a romantic relationship, Silver reteams with her “Between the Lines” star John Heard to reinvent the break-up story in cinema. The film is the exploration of perception, infatuation, and arrogance, with Heard’s character Charles, being a complicated, and at times, unreliable narrator. It is a fascinating interrogation of how men handle breakups and how they navigate romantic relationships. The Criterion Collection also has Silver’s best known film, “Crossing Delancey” (1988), but “Chilly Scenes of Winter” is a hidden gem worth watching. Plus, the film has Gloria Grahame who is a personal favorite of mine.
“The Watermelon Woman” (1996) dir. Cheryl Dunye
Diana (Guinevere Turner) and Cheryl (Cheryl Dunye) in “The Watermelon Woman” (1996) | The Criterion Collection
Written, directed, and starring Dunye, “The Watermelon Woman” is a meta-exploration of Cheryl (Dunye), a filmmaker trying to make a film about Fae Richards, a Black actress from the 1930s known for playing the stereotypical “mammy” roles Black actresses were relegated to during that time period. Fae Richards is a stand-in for such actresses as Louise Beavers, Hattie McDaniel, and Butterfly McQueen, with Dunye examining the Black women of cinematic history lost and forgotten by many. The film simultaneously explores Cheryl’s life outside of filmmaking, falling in love with a customer, Diana (Guinevere Turner), who frequents the video store she works at. “The Watermelon Woman” has the distinction of being the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian filmmaker, and remains a staple in Black and queer cinema.
“Dance, Girl, Dance” (1940) dir. Dorothy Arzner
Judy (Maureen O’Hara) and Bubbles (Lucille Ball) in “Dance, Girl, Dance” (1940) | The Criterion Collection
One of Arzner’s final films, “Dance, Girl, Dance” follows two dancers Judy (Maureen O’Hara) and Bubbles (Lucille Ball) finding their footing after they become unemployed. Judy dreams of being a ballet dancer, as Bubbles becomes a star in burlesque. This film came out more than a decade before “I Love Lucy,” yet Ball’s comedic chops and impeccable timing are on full display in this film. Arzner was usually relegated to “chick flicks” of the time, yet she always managed to find a way to shoehorn a rousing, feminist moment, with O’Hara delivering a powerful feminist speech in this film.
The Criterion Collection has a number of beautiful films, so treat this as a place to start as you dive into the numerous films by female filmmakers that make up the collection. And don’t forget to tell us the films you get during this sale! (RIP to our bank accounts, am I right?)