Girl Week: Underseen Films of the Decade

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Remember 50 years ago when I was putting together underseen movies of the past decade and had to break it into several parts because I had too many? Well, that's still a work in progress but Dell's Girl Week has given me the motivation to keep on going. Here are a few of my favorite films from the past decade where it centers around a female character


Afternoon Delight - Kathryn Hahn plays a woman who heads to a strip club to spice up her marriage and ends up bringing home Mckenna (Juno Temple) to help nanny for her children after befriending her. Hahn and Temple are great and I thought it tackled that sexual slump that people can sometimes go through really honestly. 

Breathe (Respire) - Mélanie Laurent may be famous for what she does in front of the camera, but here she steps behind the camera and tells a story about two Parisian teenagers who become friends, then something more. It may not be the most original story but I thought it was a great film.


Columbus - Casey (Haley Lu Richardson) is more of a co-lead in this movie. While John Cho's story is what drives the film, it's Casey who changes everything. She plays an all too familiar young woman stuck in her home town and wanting something more. I really felt like I could relate with Casey and overall this is such a beautiful little film.


Christine - This may not be underrated on Twitter, or in the blogosphere where we talk about Rebecca Hall being robbed of that Oscar nomination for this BUT if you haven't you should really see Christine. Based on a true story this is a very important film about mental health and how one woman unfortunately lost her battle with it. It's expertly acted and never feels exploitative of its real life subject.


We Are What We Are - This follows two sisters who live out in the middle of nowhere with their father and younger brother. From the start, we know something is off. Are they super religious? What's their deal? This film reminds me a bit of Audition in execution. A very slow burn that eventually builds into something crazy.


White Bird in a Blizzard - Shailene Woodley was that IT girl for a while, and this is one of my favorite performances of hers. She plays a girl whose life changes after her mother disappears. She didn't feel comfortable in her own home prior to this event, but afterwards she's forced to really take a good look at how she feels, and I felt this was a great way to showcase that inner turmoil and how traumatic events can cause you to reflect on everything that happened prior.

Comments

  1. joel65913November 28, 2020 at 8:18 AM

    I've only seen one of these-White Bird in a Blizzard-which sorry to say I absolutely hated. A lot of that is because of Woodley, my least favorite actress (that's a generous distinction for the contortions she makes in front of the lens!) of current actresses. I'm delighted her vogue seems to have passed.

    I've considered at times watching Christine but I can vividly remember when Christine Chubbuck committed suicide on air, fortunately I didn't see it but the story was so horrible it made an impact on me even though I was very young, and I just can't bring myself to look at something that I know is going to be so despairing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 28, 2020 at 9:22 AM

      I can see that, I wasn't aware of what happened to Christine Chubbuck until this movie, and the other one they made about her came out. Even though I knew that was coming, it was still worth it to watch Rebecca Hall be so damn good.

      Delete
  2. SJHoneywellNovember 28, 2020 at 8:51 AM

    Of these, I've seen only We Are What We Are, which I found interesting and disturbing. I think it goes off the rails at the end, but I still found it worth seeing.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 28, 2020 at 9:21 AM

      Oh yes it does, that's probably what elevates it so much for me.

      Delete
  3. GetterNovember 28, 2020 at 9:08 AM

    What a surprise, I have not seen any of these but at least I have heard of two!! :D

    ReplyDelete
  4. KatyNovember 28, 2020 at 9:52 AM

    I love Christine and White Bird in a Blizzard. I know Shailene takes on smaller projects now, but I feel like she isn't in enough. She's one of my faves. Ashamed to say I haven't heard of the other movies and want to check them out.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 28, 2020 at 8:33 PM

      I hope you check out Afternoon Delight. I'm hoping that Hahn is a riot in WandaVision so people will go on watching sprees of her old films.

      Delete
    2. KatyDecember 1, 2020 at 9:19 AM

      Hahn has been one of my favorites for years. It was nice to see her get close to award show season a few years ago with Private Life. I'll try to check out Afternoon Delight.

      Delete
    3. Brittani BurnhamDecember 2, 2020 at 10:43 AM

      I still need to watch Private Life!

      Delete
  5. DellNovember 28, 2020 at 2:06 PM

    I'm pretty much in the same boat as Joel. I've only seen White Bird in Blizzard and didn't care much for it. I do agree that Woodley is great, though. She almost always is. I really need to see Christine.

    Thanks for another entry. You're the best!

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  6. thevoid99November 28, 2020 at 8:46 PM

    Respire is a film I have seen. I know I saw it a few years ago for my Cannes marathon (not sure if it will happen this year with the way things are going). I really liked it as I have another film by Melanie Laurent on my DVR hard drive. If only I could find the time to watch it.

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamNovember 29, 2020 at 11:34 AM

      I think she did a great job with Respire. I'd like to see more films directed by her.

      Delete
  7. keith71_98November 29, 2020 at 9:36 AM

    I love it ANYTIME Columbus is mentioned. Is there a more underseen gem than it? I keep hoping and waiting for a Criterion Collection edition.

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  8. Often Off TopicDecember 1, 2020 at 5:16 AM

    You are amazing at highlighting all these lesser known movies that I've never even heard of! They all sound good but I really like the sound of Afternoon Delight <3

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    Replies
    1. Brittani BurnhamDecember 1, 2020 at 6:20 AM

      Thank you! I hope youg et to check out Afternoon Delight.

      Delete
  9. Sonia CercaDecember 1, 2020 at 10:47 AM

    I feel so bad because the only I've seen is Christine. I really liked it though and I thought Hall was terrific in it. I will definitely check out the others.

    ReplyDelete

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