At a time when the world feels as if it’s been turned upside down and the ground is slipping from under our feet, we can always retreat into cinema in an attempt to stay sane in very troubling times. All troubles are transient, but film is forever. And all creative endeavors are an antidote to truly difficult times and serve as a powerful reminder of our shared humanity and the vital importance of compassion and empathy.

Amy’s Top Picks:

CAT PERSON (Playing in Select Theaters): Based on a short story that was a literary sensation when it was published by the NEW YORKER in 2017, and if you see the movie you will understand why. For many women, dating can be an anxious experience. But in the age of social media and interactive technology, it can quickly devolve into a minefield. The question “what do I really know about this guy?” isn’t an irrational thought in the to cross a woman’s mind as she ventures out on a date she’s met on-line. When college student Margot starts dating an older man she mostly knows through text exchanges, she finds herself growing increasingly discomforted by his behavior. This leads to a date and an excruciating sex scene that Margot endures as an out-of-body experience raises issues of consent and the blurring of lines as women constantly put the feelings of men before their own well-being. For many women, these ambivalent sexual encounters inevitably lead to feelings of humiliation and exploitation. CAT PERSON eventually devolves into melodrama but is still worth seeing for its exploration of dating and gender politics that, in the first two acts, plays like an effective horror film that portrays an unsettling dilemma that many women will recognize as their own.

BLACK BEAR (Streaming on Amazon Prime ) A young woman with ambitions of being a filmmaker finds herself fresh out of ideas and inspiration. In an attempt to spark her creativity, she retreats for a weekend to a secluded home by a lake to work on her script. What follows is one of the most original portrayals of the messiness of the creative process to ever be captured on celluloid. The film is also one of the most relentlessly unpleasant-and-funny films to have come out in the last several years. It features one of the most memorable opening scenes where Allison-our female protagonist-is a guest at a dinner hosted by the couple who own the home where she is staying. The tension between the two women is palpable and laugh-out-loud funny as they pay each other insincere compliments. The cracks in the marriage soon appear and what follows is reminiscent of the film WHO’S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? BLACK BEAR is worth viewing for many reasons including the performance of Aubrey Plaza who captures the complexity of an artistically brilliant and driven woman who will stop at nothing for creative inspiration.

~Amy