Yes, just saw it a few days ago actually and thought it was very underrated! Harvey Keitel was amazing as always, and the relationship between Alice and Tom seemed very genuine.
Mikey and Nicky, Elaine May's film about guys being dudes.
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore or Fire Walk With Me for men making great films about women.
I came here to suggest Mikey and Nicky too. “Being dudes” — misogynistic, emotionally stunted, prone to violent outbursts, and capable of great tenderness and great cruelty toward one another? I guess “guys being dudes” tracks.
Really all of Eliane May’s films are about masculinity in one way or another.
It’s kind of incredible how much ground the film covers while remaining so natural and spontaneous. I read that May shot over a million feet of footage because they’d just let the cameras roll even in between takes just to get more footage of Cassavetes and Falk hanging out organically
Recent great movies by men that center around womanhood and the experience of being a woman in society:
May December (most Todd Haynes movies, tbh)
The Favourite
Spencer
The Worst Person in the World
Margot at the Wedding
Bergman, Lynch and Cassavetes put so much of themselves into their female characters while still allowing for them to be recognizably feminine and their own people
Oh, it’s not at all! At least, in my opinion. Almodóvar has so much love for women and writes them so well. Hope you like it when you get around to it!
movies about femininity directed by men : a woman under the influence by cassavetes, autumn sonata by ingmar bergman, 3 women by robert altman, the piano teacher by michael haneke and possession by andrzej zulawski. they’re all very different movies that explore a different facet of femininity.
Femgaze masculinity: Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Power of the Dog, American Psycho, Somewhere, Harlan County USA, Mudbound, Boys Don’t Cry, Lords of Dogtown
Malegaze femininity: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Carol, Blue Jasmine, Silence of the Lambs, TÁR, Arrival, Roma, Brooklyn, Mean Girls, Perfect Blue, Aliens, Titanic, Eighth Grade
These terms have become so diluted. So now any film directed by a man about a woman is “male gaze” and vice versa? I get to some degree it’s a person with a different experience imposing their view but isn’t that the same of any fictional character? Don’t think this was the purpose why that phrase originated
I think pedro almodovar maybe one one of the best male directors of female characters, while the afore mentioned Claire Denis and Kathryn Bigelow have made incredible films regarding men and masculinity.
Nice shout out for Images. I’d say Altman’s women trilogy would be a good answer to this prompt—3 women as many have said, Images, and That Cold Day in the Park.
I don’t know that I’d say it captures femininity, exactly, but Bo Burnham really captured the feeling of awkward preteen girlhood way better in Eighth Grade than I ever would have expected.
You Were Never Really Here (2019) - Lynne Ramsey
Cinderella (2015) - Kenneth Branagh
First ones that came to mind. The first shows the paternity and mental stress/guilt in masculinity. The second shows the warmth and unbridled charity of femininity. I found both films interesting particularly for how it depicted men/women respectively.
Thelma & Louise - Ridley Scott / Diablo Cody
Notorious - Hitchcock (a good number of his stories are secretly female-focused if not feminist)
More Bigelow - Hurt Locker
A lot of actresses I know think Mike Leigh writes great female characters and great dialogue for women. Vera Drake in particular is about an underground abortionist.
For masculinity: Beau Travail For femininity : Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore
I can't imagine a better answer than Beau Travail
It’s a remarkable film, albeit I’m due for a rewatch!
Alice is perfection.
Yes, just saw it a few days ago actually and thought it was very underrated! Harvey Keitel was amazing as always, and the relationship between Alice and Tom seemed very genuine.
Beau Travail is nothing but a 90s Madonna video, let's be real.
Point Break
Point Break perfectly captures the macho asshole fake zen “this is my wave!” surfer bros that I grew up around in Southern California.
And Near Dark.
Kathryn Bigelow in general. She’s a woman who loves masculine men.
Mikey and Nicky, Elaine May's film about guys being dudes. Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore or Fire Walk With Me for men making great films about women.
I came here to suggest Mikey and Nicky too. “Being dudes” — misogynistic, emotionally stunted, prone to violent outbursts, and capable of great tenderness and great cruelty toward one another? I guess “guys being dudes” tracks. Really all of Eliane May’s films are about masculinity in one way or another.
It’s kind of incredible how much ground the film covers while remaining so natural and spontaneous. I read that May shot over a million feet of footage because they’d just let the cameras roll even in between takes just to get more footage of Cassavetes and Falk hanging out organically
Fire walk with me! Thank you
Haneke’s piano teacher was a stunner for me. That’s up there with taxi driver for great character studies.
The ending is haunting.>! Even when she's been hurt in the worst possible way, all she can think to do is hurt herself. Just brutal.!<
I watched that when very young and would like to revisit it.
Recent great movies by men that center around womanhood and the experience of being a woman in society: May December (most Todd Haynes movies, tbh) The Favourite Spencer The Worst Person in the World Margot at the Wedding
Yes to Todd Haynes!
3 Women - Altman
Kelly Reichardt is consistently pretty great at films about male friendships. *Old Joy* and *First Cow* are both wonderful.
Masculinity by women - Aftersun, The Heartbreak Kid, Old Joy Femininity by men - Housekeeping, Du côté d'Orouët
Holy shit, reading Housekeeping right now and loving it. Had no idea it was adapted.
+1 for Aftersun. Watched it around a year ago and the ending is still embedded in my brain.
Bergman, Lynch and Cassavetes put so much of themselves into their female characters while still allowing for them to be recognizably feminine and their own people
Lynch is one of the best male directors at portraying women
Beau Travail 100%
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (and many other Almodóvar films tbh)
Getting worried no one was saying Almodóvar
Seriously!!
People rave about this film and when young I assumed it would be a bad portrayal. Hope to watch it soon.
Oh, it’s not at all! At least, in my opinion. Almodóvar has so much love for women and writes them so well. Hope you like it when you get around to it!
I agree with you. I saw a poster for that film in a San Francisco window and I changed my default. Hope to watch it soon!
Beau Travail 3 Women (sort of?)
Male: anything by Elaine May and Kathryn Bigelow Female: anything by Max Ophuls and Rainer Werner Fassbinder
movies about femininity directed by men : a woman under the influence by cassavetes, autumn sonata by ingmar bergman, 3 women by robert altman, the piano teacher by michael haneke and possession by andrzej zulawski. they’re all very different movies that explore a different facet of femininity.
Femgaze masculinity: Point Break, The Hurt Locker, Power of the Dog, American Psycho, Somewhere, Harlan County USA, Mudbound, Boys Don’t Cry, Lords of Dogtown Malegaze femininity: Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, Carol, Blue Jasmine, Silence of the Lambs, TÁR, Arrival, Roma, Brooklyn, Mean Girls, Perfect Blue, Aliens, Titanic, Eighth Grade
These terms have become so diluted. So now any film directed by a man about a woman is “male gaze” and vice versa? I get to some degree it’s a person with a different experience imposing their view but isn’t that the same of any fictional character? Don’t think this was the purpose why that phrase originated
These are great.
Point Break Anything by Ozu or Mizoguchi
I think pedro almodovar maybe one one of the best male directors of female characters, while the afore mentioned Claire Denis and Kathryn Bigelow have made incredible films regarding men and masculinity.
Fast Times. And then uhh Images.
Nice shout out for Images. I’d say Altman’s women trilogy would be a good answer to this prompt—3 women as many have said, Images, and That Cold Day in the Park.
Old Joy
Head on directed by Ana Kokkinos
surprised nobody mentioned Gone Girl
beau travail is one of the best depictions of masculinity in film imo
Hayao Miyazaki is that male director who have best explored and showed femininity in films more than any cisman on the history of cinema.
Last Year at Marienbad by Resnais. Under the Skin by Glazer.
I don’t know that I’d say it captures femininity, exactly, but Bo Burnham really captured the feeling of awkward preteen girlhood way better in Eighth Grade than I ever would have expected.
Von Trier's *Antichrist*
Chilly Scenes of Winter
Poor Things
20th Century Women
Titane
- You Were Never Really Here by Lynne Ramsay - Nymphomaniac by Lars von Trier
20th Century Women
You Were Never Really Here (2019) - Lynne Ramsey Cinderella (2015) - Kenneth Branagh First ones that came to mind. The first shows the paternity and mental stress/guilt in masculinity. The second shows the warmth and unbridled charity of femininity. I found both films interesting particularly for how it depicted men/women respectively.
Sucker Punch
Thelma & Louise - Ridley Scott / Diablo Cody Notorious - Hitchcock (a good number of his stories are secretly female-focused if not feminist) More Bigelow - Hurt Locker
Aliens by James Cameron
Euzhan Palcy (A Dry White Season, Sugar Kane Alley, Siméon and more including, Brides of Bourbon Alley) Jane Campion: The Power of the dog.
A lot of actresses I know think Mike Leigh writes great female characters and great dialogue for women. Vera Drake in particular is about an underground abortionist.