Happy Hump Day! I’m feeling a bit off today and struggling to get my reviews done. I’m about halfway done with my review of John Wick Chapter 4 and stay tuned for my upcoming reviews of The Lost King and Tetris movie.

In any case, I’ve been meaning to do a trailer post of some indie films I can’t wait to see later this Spring & Summer. So check these trailers, all written and directed by women.

PAST LIVES

Written/Directed by: Celine Song
Cast: Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, John Magaro

Nora and Hae Sung, two deeply connected childhood friends, are wrest apart after Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea. 20 years later, they are reunited for one fateful week as they confront notions of love and destiny.

This looks really enchanting and reminds me a bit of Another Tomorrow In Hong Kong by another female Asian-American filmmaker Emily Ting. This is Song’s directorial debut but she’s one of the writers for Amazon Prime’s series The Wheel Of Time. It certainly looks intriguing and beautifully shot, must be good if A24 picked it up!

Release Date:: June 2

---

You Hurt My Feelings

Written/Directed by: Nicole Holofcener
Cast: Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Tobias Menzies, Michaela Watkins

A novelist’s longstanding marriage is suddenly upended when she overhears her husband giving his honest reaction to her latest book.

I’m immediately on board when I saw the cast!! Can’t go wrong with Julia Louis-Dreyfus who can balance comedy and pathos so wonderfully, and then there Tobias Menzies who’s such a spectacular actor! Glad to see him playing American, though I know he’s such a versatile actor. This is a reunion between director Nicole Holofcener and Louis-Dreyfus since Enough Said, which I still need to check out.

Release Date:: May 26

---

JOY RIDE

Written/Directed by: Adele Lim
Cast: Stephanie Hsu, Ashley Park, Chris Pang

Follows four Asian-American friends as they bond and discover the truth of what it means to know and love who you are, while they travel through Asia in search of one of their birth mothers.

The last time a movie with the word ‘Joy’ in the title starring a mostly Asian ensemble cast was The Joy Luck Club in 1993. Well, Joy Ride couldn’t be more different in terms of tone and style, though it does share some similar themes of family and adoption. This is Adele Kim’s directorial debut but she’s been in the biz for some time and had written and produced some of Hollywood’s biggest hits such as Crazy Rich Asians, Raya and the Last Dragon, as well as TV series Reign and Private Practice.

The female cast looks fun and I’m thrilled to see Chris Pang’s name, he’s the other hunky actor I wish would get a lot more jobs after Crazy Rich Asians. The trailer promises a wild, riotous, and hilarious adventure! It’s got that ‘girls just wanna fun’ but also carries an emotional weight about searching for their birth mother. In most Hollywood movies, we often see the stereotypical Asian women – wise, studious, reserved – so it’s fun to see the crazy, unhinged side. I might go see this with my Asian girlfriends!

Release Date:: July 7

---

What do you think of these trailers? Are you excited about any of them?

///