I Am Not A Witch: The Return of Carrie and Women Filmmakers

Cornell Communications' Specialist, Carrie Chalmers returns to the show for a discussion focused on several women film directors. First up is Rungano Nyoni's spellbinding 2017 film, I Am Not A Witch. A semi-satyrical look at women in bondage with a spellbinding lead performance by Maggie Mutubwa. A film with so many twists and turns Jim decided to cut out some of the reveals mentioned during the program to avoid spoiling it for those who may watch this film later. It is currently playing on The Criterion Channel.

The next film discussed is available to rent, and it is The Assistant, directed by Kitty Green. Julia Garner is a recent college graduate who lands her dream job in a New York City film production office working for a powerful film mogul (sound familiar?) The action takes place during one day at the office where the assistant will have to make a choice about her future--stay quiet about the abuse surrounding her, or be part of the problem. While Jim, Teal and Carrie each had their issues with the movie, they definitely feel there was a lot to talk about.

This month The Criterion Channel features three films by French Film director, Diane Kurys. Jim, Carrie, and Teal all sampled her first feature, the 1978 coming-of-age film, Peppermint Soda. Jim enjoyed it the most, but all three found it to be an enjoyable film. Then Jim and Carrie saw Kurys' 1983 film, and possibly the movie she's most known for, Entre Nous. This feature has a lot of elements to discuss.

For the final leg of the show, Teal shows his appreciation for the only woman in Oscar history to win Best Director, Kathryn Bigelow. Carrie found herself re-watching The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty with a new appreciation of what traditionally masculine material looks like in the hands of a woman filmmaker.

Lots of laughs and insight packed into this 76 min episode.