5 New Summer Releases Directed by Women
Summer is here which means the summer weather is here too. I live in Florida where I wake up everyday to either 80+ degree temperatures, or pouring rain outside. My solution to surviving the summer climate? I watch a lot of movies. I visit my local cinema at least once a week and watch films on streaming in my house when I’m in need of an activity that can’t get cancelled due to the weather. There’s a lot of content to catch up on this summer both for TV and film, after years of a pandemic influenced disruption. I’m excited to dive into all the new releases coming soon, but here are five films directed by women to look out for and support this summer.
Watcher (2022) dir. Chloe Okuno
June 3, 2022
Maika Monroe in IFC Midnight and Shudder’s Watcher
Director Chloe Okuno’s first full length feature, Watcher stars scream queen Maika Monroe (The Guest, It Follows, Villains) as Julia, a woman who moves to Bucharest, Romania with her husband after he accepts a job there. Isolated from the language barrier and culture differences, Julia notices that someone has been looking at her through her large window, from an apartment building across the street. She starts to realize she’s being stalked by a man— who may be a serial killer beheading women throughout her town. From the trailer, it looks like the film will feature some interesting horror elements, which I love considering Maika Monroe’s history with the genre. This psychological thriller was written for the screen by Okuno, based on Zack Ford’s original screenplay. Watcher first premiered at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and you can currently rent the film on Amazon Prime.
Where the Crawdad’s Sing (2022) dir. Olivia Newman
July 15, 2022
Daisy-Edgar Jones in Sony Picture’s Where the Crawdad’s Sing
Based on the novel written by author Delia Owens, Where the Crawdad’s Sing stars Daisy-Edgar Jones (recently seen in Hulu’s Fresh and Normal People) who plays Kya Clark, a young woman who has survived for years on her own in the marshes of Barkley Cove, North Carolina after being abandoned by her family. Directed by Olivia Newman (Netflix’s First Match) with the screenplay written by Lucy Alibar, the movie takes place in the 1950s and 1960s. When a man Kya had once been romantically involved with is found dead, she becomes the lead suspect in his murder. Shunned from her community and chased after by the police, the community and Kya are left to search for answers on herself and their judgements of her within the marsh. The trailer for this mystery drama features Taylor Swift’s new song “Carolina” written especially for the film, since she fell in love with the book a few years ago.
Persuasion (2022) dir. Carrie Cracknell
July 15, 2022
Dakota Johnson in Netflix’s Persuasion
Based on the beloved Jane Austen novel by the same name, Persuasion is directed by Carrie Cracknell with a screenplay by Ron Bass and Alice Victoria Winslow. This new film gives a Fleabag style contemporary twist on the book where Dakota Johnson’s character, Anne Elliot gives deadpan side comments and cheeky glances that break the fourth wall. She pokes fun at the flaws that flow around her in a high society lifestyle. Anne reunites with her former lover seven years after breaking off their engagement, but finds herself in a love triangle when her family pushes her to be with someone else. Anne is forced to consider what she really wants outside of her societal pressure from her family. I’ve personally never read Persuasion, but many fans of the story aren't so impressed with the trailer for this new film. A few critiques center around how main protagonist Anne is portrayed, and the dramatic tone shift from the book. We’ll just have to see for ourselves since the film drops on Netflix in July.
Bodies Bodies Bodies (2022) dir. Halina Reijn
August 5, 2022
Amandla Stenberg, Maria Bakalova, Chase Sui Wonders, and Rachel Sennott in A24’s Bodies Bodies Bodies
Halina Reijn’s second full length feature as director arrives this summer in A24’s black comedy slasher film Bodies Bodies Bodies. Written by Sarah DeLappe, the film centers around a group of Gen-Zers bunked together in a remote mansion during a hurricane. With the addition of drinks and drugs, the group decides to play a “murder in the dark” style party game that ends in real murders. From the trailer, the film seems like a fun, bloody whodunit murder mystery with satire poking at Gen-Z language, obsession with social media, and performative activism through race, class, gender, and sexuality. The all star cast includes Maria Bakalova, Pete Davidson, Amandla Stenberg, and Lee Pace. I’m personally most excited to see Rachel Sennott after her fantastic performance in the 2020 film Shiva Baby by writer/ director Emma Seligman. I can’t wait to see her dominate in this horror genre film this summer in theaters.
The Invitation (2022) dir. Jessica M. Thompson
August 26, 2022
Nathalie Emmanuel in Sony Picture’s The Invitation
A young woman named Evie, played by Nathalie Emmanuel (Game of Thrones, Fast and the Furious), decides to take a DNA test after the death of her mother and discovers a long lost cousin she never knew she had. She gets invited by her newfound family to a lush wedding in the English countryside and meets an attractive host who sweeps her off her feet. Directed by Jessica M. Thompson with a screenplay written by both Thompson and Blair Butler, Evie will soon realize that her presence at this event has sinister motivations, and must fight for survival. The trailer promises some inspiration from Bram Stoker's Dracula, in this modern retelling of the gothic tale. It also seems very similar to the horror film Ready or Not (2019) dir. Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, a film I adore that also follows a young woman who gets married and discovers her new family is not what they seem.
