“The 355” is finally making its way to cinemas. COVID-19 delayed the release of the star-studded “The 355” for many years.2022 marks the beginning of the spy movie. Featuring Jessica Chastain, Diane Kruger, Lupita Nyong’o, Penélope Cruz, and Fan Bingbing, the action-packed pic opens on January 7. Releasing on the same day, thriller “See for Me” stars visually impaired nonbinary actor Skyler Davenport as a blind Teenage girl finds herself in the middle of a home invasion. Her only recourse is an army veteran who guides her through an app.
An exploration of artificial intelligence, Ann Shin’s thought-provoking documentary “A.rtificial I.mmortality” (January 11) examines the possibility of a The world where AI and humans merge Other docs set for release this month include “Salt in My Soul” (January 21) and Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler’s “Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” (January 14). The former chronicles author and cystic fibrosis advocate Mallory Smith’s extraordinary life, and the latter features ACLU Deputy Legal Director Jeffery Robinson’s groundbreaking talk on the history of U.S. anti-Black racism.
Music fans will enjoy this month’s stories from two legends in their respective fields. Inspired by the life of Celine Dion, Canada’s best-selling musical artist, Valérie Lemercier’s “Aline” (January 21) follows the singing sensation’s chart-topping ascent and her romance with her husband and manager. ”The Conductor” (January 28), a documentary from Bernadette Wegenstein, tells the story of Marin Alsop, a self-taught conductor who made history as first and only conductor to receive a MacArthur Award.
Here are the debut films this January that are women-centric and directed by women. Unless otherwise noted all descriptions are from press materials.
January 1
“Chief Daddy 2” – Going for Broke – Written by Mo Abudu, Heidi Uys, Bode Asiyanbi, and Salah Sabiti (Available on Netflix)
The Beecroft family are ready to spend all of Chief Daddy’s inheritance, but not if the CEO of his company has anything to do with it.
January 4
“The Superdeep” – Written by Milena Radulovic, Viktor Bondaryuk, Sergey Torchilin, and Arseny Syuhin (Available on VOD)
A small research team went down below the surface to find out what secret the world’s deepest borehole was hiding. They found the greatest threat to humankind’s history. They hold the key to humanity’s future.
January 6
“Out of the Blue” (4K Restoration) – Written by Brenda Nielson and Leonard Yakir (In Theaters)
Linda Manz, a teen star and a tough cookie, is a rare and remarkable actor. She plays Cebe, a punkette who’s struggling to make ends meet. Her ex-truck driver father Dennis Hopper (Dennis Bresson) comes home and brings with him bad habits and repressed childhood memories. A cinematic kick in the teeth set against the backdrop of ass-end-of-nowhere smalltown Pacific Northwest that’s something like Robert Bresson’s “Mouchette” (1967) under the influence of the Sex Pistols, and a magnificent showcase for “Days of Heaven” (1978) star Manz, who died in 2020, but can never be forgotten for the naked feral fury of her performance here. (Metrograph)
January 7
“The 355” – Written by Theresa Rebeck and Simon Kinberg (In Theaters)
When a top-secret weapon falls into mercenary hands, wild card CIA agent Mason “Mace” Brown (Jessica Chastain) will need to join forces with rival badass German agent Marie (Diane Kruger), former MI6 ally and cutting-edge computer specialist Khadijah (Lupita Nyong’o), and skilled Colombian psychologist Graciela (Penélope Cruz) on a lethal, breakneck mission to retrieve it, while also staying one-step ahead of a mysterious woman, Lin Mi Sheng (Fan Bingbing), who is tracking their every move. As the action rockets around the globe from the cafes of Paris to the markets of Morocco to the opulent auction houses of Shanghai, the quartet of women will forge a tenuous loyalty that could protect the world — or get them killed.
“See for Me” (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
Sophie (Skyler Davidnport), a young woman with blindness who lives in a mansion and is house-sitting, finds herself under attack by thieves seeking a hidden safe. Her only means of defense: a new app called “See For Me.” It connects her to a volunteer across the country who helps her survive by seeing on her behalf. Kelly Parker Kennedy, a former soldier who loves first-person shooter games, connects Sophie to Kelly. Sophie is forced to learn that if she’s going to survive the night, she’ll need all the help she can get.
January 11
“A.rtificial I.mmortality” (Documentary) – Directed by Ann Shin (Available on VOD)
Would you be able to create an immortal copy of yourself? This question was once a science fiction concept. But artificial intelligence and robotics experts now suggest that it is possible. This documentary explores the most recent developments in cloning technology and avatar technology as we move into the age of the metaverse. Is it possible to replicate the human mind’s essence? Even more disturbing, could we soon be able to clone ourselves, making us smarter, better, and immortal?
January 12
“The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs” (In NY One Week Only)
“The Shepherdess and the Seven Songs” centers on a young bride, Laila (Navjot Randhawa), who marries into a tribe of nomadic Bakarwal herders. Laila, a minority already being harassed by the local police, is targeted by officials for her extraordinary beauty. Seven chapters chronicle Laila’s ingenious, implacable manipulation by men to seize her and the patriarchy who wants to crush her.
January 14
“No Straight Lines: The Rise of Queer Comics” (Documentary) – Directed by Vivian Kleiman (Available on VOD)
The road to mainstream acceptance for queer comics was difficult. It took them from the fringes of the underground comics scene. “No Straight Lines” chronicles the journeys of five scrappy LGBTQ artists — Alison Bechdel, Howard Cruse, Mary Wings, Rupert Kinnard, and Jennifer Camper — from their early DIY work to the international stage, and offers a fascinating window into everything from the AIDS crisis to the search for love and a good haircut.
“Who We Are: A Chronicle of Racism in America” (Documentary) – Directed by Emily Kunstler and Sarah Kunstler (In Theaters)
Jeffery Robinson, a lawyer, creates a vivid timeline of anti Black racism in America, starting with slavery and ending with the modern myth of a postracial America.
“Belle” (In Theaters)
“Belle” is a fantastical, heartfelt story of growing up in the age of social media. Suzu (Kylie McNeill), is a shy, average high school student who lives in a rural community. She has been a shadow of her self for years. When she enters U, an enormous virtual world, she finds herself as Belle, a beautiful, well-loved singer. One day, her concert gets interrupted by a monstrous creature that is being chased by vigilantes. As their hunt escalates, Suzu embarks on an emotional and epic quest to uncover the identity of this mysterious “beast” and to discover her true self in a world where you can be anyone.
“Borrego” (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
Lucy Hale plays Elly, a young botanist who is on a research mission that goes wrong. After witnessing a drug mule’s plane crash in the Borrego desert, she is kidnapped and forced on a dangerous journey to a remote drop off point. Elly is left with very few supplies and is alone in the desert, so she must fight for her survival.
“Italian Studies” (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
While visiting New York City from her native London, writer Alina Reynolds (Vanessa Kirby) inexplicably loses her memory and suddenly becomes unmoored and adrift on the streets of Manhattan with no sense of time or place — or even her own name. As Alina’s consciousness swings between imagined conversations, fragments of her own short stories, and the bustling city around her, she finds an anchor in charismatic teenager Simon (Simon Brickner). Simon quickly introduces Alina and his group of free-spirited friends to the lost woman and they navigate a confusing cityscape full life, beauty, music, and life.
January 20
“The Last Thing Mary Saw” (Available on Shudder)
Southold, New York, 1843: Young Mary (Stefanie Scott), blood trickling from behind the blindfold tied around her eyes, is interrogated about the events surrounding her grandmother’s death. As the story jumps back in time, we witness Mary, raised in a repressively religious household, finding fleeting happiness in the arms of Eleanor (Isabelle Fuhrman), the home’s maid. Her family, who believe they are seeing, speaking, and acting on God’s behalf, view the girls’ relationship as an abomination, to be dealt with as severely as possible. Although the couple try to keep their relationship secret, someone is always watching or listening. The tension between the girls and Ry Culkin, an enigmatic stranger, threatens to escalate to the point of death.
January 21
“Aline” – Directed by Valérie Lemercier; Written by Valérie Lemercier and Brigitte Buc (In Theaters)
For Aline Dieu (Valérie Lemercier), nothing in the world matters more than music, family, and love. Guy-Claude Kamar, a successful manager (Sylvain Marc), is captivated by Aline’s powerful and emotional voice. He vows to do everything he can to make her a superstar. Aline is a local star, bestselling recording artist, and international superstar. As she climbs, she embarks upon the two greatest romances of her adult life: one with Guy Claude, who is now a decade old, and the second with her adoring audience. Two-time César Award winner Valérie Lemercier plays Aline from ages five to 50 in a fictional musical dramedy freely inspired by the life of Celine Dion.
“A Shot Through the Wall” – Written and Directed by Aimee Long (In Theaters and Available on VOD)
Mike Tan (Kenny Leu), a Chinese-American officer in police, was accidentally shot by an innocent Black man in Brooklyn. He must now deal with his deep guilt and navigate the complex worlds of justice, media, and racial politics.
“Salt in My Soul” (Documentary) (In Theaters; Available on VOD January 25)
Mallory Smith was three years old when she was diagnosed with cystic Fibrosis. In her 25-year battle with the deadly disease, she carved out a life that most of us don’t come close to. Using Smith’s posthumously published 25,000-page secret diaries, hundreds of hours of newly discovered footage, and audio recordings, the film offers Mallory as the narrator of her own extraordinary chronicle.
“Redeeming Love” – Written by Francine Rivers and D.J. Caruso (In Theaters
Angel (Abigail Cowen), a child sold into prostitution, is a victim of betrayal. Can her heart ever heal?
“Cyrano” – Written by Erica Schmidt (In Theaters)
Cyrano de Bergerac (Peter Dinklage), a man ahead of his time, dazzles with his ferocious wordplay at a verbal battle or with his brilliant swordplay during a duel. But, convinced that his appearance renders him unworthy of the love of a devoted friend, the luminous Roxanne (Haley Bennett), Cyrano has yet to declare his feelings for her — and Roxanne has fallen in love, at first sight, with Christian (Kelvin Harrison Jr.).
January 25
“The Midnight Swim” – Written and Directed by Sarah Adina Smith (Available on VOD)
“The Midnight Swim” follows half-sisters Isa (Aleksa Palladino), June (Lindsay Burdge), and Annie (Jennifer Lafleur) in the wake of the disappearance of their mother, Dr. Amelia Brooks (Beth Grant), during a deep-water dive in Spirit Lake. The three women decide that they will travel home to settle their mother’s affairs. However, they accidentally summon a ghost from the local area and are drawn deeper into the mysteries of Spirit Lake as their relationship unravels.
January 28
“The Conductor” (Documentary) – Directed by Bernadette Wegenstein (In Theaters)
Marin Alsop is a woman who has done it all. She was the first and only MacArthur Award-winning conductor. Alsop became the first female to be appointed as music director of a major symphony, the first female music director of the São Paulo Symphony Orchestra, and the first woman to conduct the BBC’s “Last Night of the Proms.” In 2020, Alsop became the first woman ever appointed as Chief Conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra (RSO) and speculation in music circles suggests that she’s on track to become the first woman to conduct the prestigious Vienna New Year’s Concert. Set to a breathtaking soundtrack of her performances, “The Conductor” tells Alsop’s story through a combination of intimate interviews and shared professional and private moments, encounters with musicians and cognoscenti in the music world, unseen archival footage with her mentor Leonard Bernstein, and vérité scenes of Alsop conducting some of the world’s great orchestras and teaching the next wave of conductors who, like her, were being excluded from the classical music canon.
Source: Women And Hollywood
