An Army of Women (15)
Directed by Julie Lunde Lillesaeter
★★★★

IN 2018 three Austin women joined a groundbreaking class action lawsuit against the police and prosecutors in Austin and Travis County and were the first to argue that sexual assault isn’t prosecuted because it’s a crime that predominantly affects women.

Julie Lunde Lillesaeter’s powerful documentary and directorial debut follows sexual assault survivors Amy (pseudonym), Marina and Hanna on their brave and arduous journey as they join 12 other plaintiffs fighting for justice. 

It is the testimony of these courageous and extraordinary women that cannot fail to move you. They are harrowing tales of sexual assault and rape followed by having to relive their ordeals again and again and not being believed as the police and the authorities take no action to prosecute their attackers.  

What is shocking is the legal bias, plus the fact that the district attorney of Travis County at that time was a woman who failed to fight for the plaintiffs. The women state how all they wanted was to be seen, heard and believed. Yet sorry seems to be the hardest word as neither the police nor the DA apologise for their inactions. 

You can’t help but be incensed and enraged for them. Yet their resilience and determination to keep fighting against all the odds is awe-inspiring, and ends on an emotionally gruelling but satisfying note. 
MD
In cinemas April 25. 

The Friend (15)
Directed by Scott McGehee and David Siegel
★★★

THE death of a friend, the anxieties of writers’ block and a grieving dog are all explored in this Woody Allen-esque drama set in New York. 

Based on Sigrid Nunez’s novel, it follows writer Iris (Naomi Watts) who, reeling from the suicide of her best friend and mentor (Bill Murray), reluctantly ends up taking care of his dog, a great dane who is heartbroken. The problem is she isn’t allowed to keep pets in her rent-controlled apartment and if she does not get rid of it she will be evicted. 

As the new mistress and dog slowly bond they also begin to heal. As her neighbour points out “how do you tell a dog about death?”

In terms of tone, look and even soundtrack you might be forgiven for thinking you were watching a Woody Allen film, but it isn’t as witty or funny. Watts does a sterling job holding her own opposite the great dane, who looks soulful and depressed, but the film left me unmoved. 
MD
In cinemas April 25.

The Ugly Stepsister (18)
Directed by Emilie Blichfeldt
★★

THIS Norwegian horror film, co-written and directed by Emilie Blichfeldt, reworks the Cinderella story. Here, a plain young woman Elvira competes with her beautiful and talented stepsister Agnes in a gruesome beauty contest for the hand of a prince.

It is a beautifully shot, atmospheric costume drama. Elvira’s mother marries into what she thought was a wealthy family, until her new husband dies, leaving her to care for both daughters. The family’s only hope is for one of the daughters to marry into wealth. While Elvira dreams of marrying Prince Julian, the mother Rebekka is aware that her daughter is conventionally ugly and has little chance of winning him over. 

To “improve” her chances she subjects Elvira to a series of excruciating surgeries, and Elvira must overcome her crush on Prince Julian, particularly after discovering his true personality. “This beauty horror twist is inspired by the brothers Grimm version and my own struggles with body image. My goal is to provoke empathy and discomfort and inspire my audience to reflect upon their perceptions of and relationship to beauty,” Blichfeldt says.

An obtuse exercise unless you are into bloody scenes of cosmetic butchery.
JG
In cinemas April 25.

Julie Keeps Quiet (12A)
Directed by Leonardo Van Dijl
★★★★

THIS remarkable film examines the reticence of a victim of abuse.

Composed almost entirely of fixed shots (that don’t move, track, pan or zoom) the point at which the lens is in focus — in largely dark interiors — is again, almost exclusively, on the face of a 15-year-old tennis protegee who says nothing in her home, her school or her training camp while a scandal unfolds, out of focus, around her. Her coach has been accused of abuse and her star predecessor has committed suicide.

It is rare indeed to witness such a scrupulously careful study of victimhood and in particular its silences and denials: the guilt, the emotional manipulation, the fear of outing oneself as a victim, and the possibility of destroying one’s own future. And, in the course of the film, the incremental reorientation of the victim as she eases out of the clutches of her abuser and creates new bonds of trust.

Both this, and her stunning ability to hit a top-spin forehand, mark a compellingly truthful performance from Tessa Van Der Broek as Julie.

Masterful.
AR
In cinemas April 25.