This review focuses on the Japanese film that came out this year, not to be confused with the 2012 French movie sharing the same title about the famous painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. The story and the filmmaking approach definitely pay homage to Renoir, as writer/director Chie Hayakawa uses an "impressionistic" style, weaving together small, seemingly unrelated …
Tag: directed by women
FlixChatter Review: Forastera (2025) – A beguiling, haunting tale of familial loss set in Mallorca
Loss of a loved one hits differently across cultures, and Forestera explores grief from the perspective of a young Spanish woman while on holiday in Mallorca. Cata (Zoe Stein) and her sister Eva (Martina García) are clearly enjoying their time with their grandma Catalina (Marta Angelat) and grandpa Tomeu (Lluís Homar). They have a special …
MSPIFF45 Announced 2026 Award Winners + FlixChatter’s Top 5 Favorites
The 45th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival has officially wrapped up. Perhaps the string of nice weather, with no snow in sight, attracted record-breaking crowds that shattered their previous daily attendance record—twice! I only managed to catch 11 films (two of them online), which is four fewer than I had hoped for. The reason? …
Continue reading MSPIFF45 Announced 2026 Award Winners + FlixChatter’s Top 5 Favorites
MSPIFF 2026 Review: HONEYJOON (2025) – A breezy, delightful mother-daughter comedy about navigating grief, set in the Azores
Film festivals are truly a great place to discover new voices. This is Lilian T. Mehrel’s fantastic debut feature, created when she won the AT&T Tribeca Untold Stories grant. I’ve always been into mother-daughter tales, especially since my late mom was a single parent who loved traveling, but we never got to take a trip …
MSPIFF 2026 Review: Don’t Call Me Mama (2026)—A tense, atmospheric Norwegian forbidden romance that’ll leave you shaken
One of the main reasons I enjoy film festivals is that they frequently expose me to fresh talent in cinema. Last Thursday, I got to know Norwegian writer/director Nina Knag, whose gripping, atmospheric, and subversive debut drama will both excite and frustrate you in the best way. The phrase 'Don't Call Me Mama' is never …
10 Highly-Anticipated 2026 Films Directed By Women – in honor of International Women’s Day
Happy International Women's Day!! I know I’m a bit late with this post since it’s nearly evening where I am, but honestly, every day should be International Women’s Day… why limit the celebration of women to just one day out of 365? At FlixChatter, I celebrate women every day by taking part in the 52 …
Short Film Spotlight: JANE AUSTEN’S PERIOD DRAMA – one of 2026’s Oscar-nominated Live Action Shorts
Happy Saturday, all! For those in the US and Canada, happy Daylights Savings weekend. Clocks "spring forward" one hour at 2 AM tonight, so we lost an hour this weekend. Thus, I’m keeping this post rather short. I haven't had the opportunity to check out all the Oscar-nominated shorts, but last week my friend shared …
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