Women Filmmakers at Tribeca 2022

-Allison McCulloch

Cherry (2022, Sophie Galibert) In the vein of Unpregnant and Plan B, Cherry is about a young woman who has to make a choice. We really have a whole slew of narrative films and documentaries about abortion right now. I suppose it’s because once women gained their right to choose with Roe v. Wade, that “right” has been at risk ever since then, and never moreso than now. While Cherry is a little bit on the light side, Alexandria Trewhitt who plays the titular role still shines. In addition it would be remiss not to specifically call out Music Supervisor Roxanne Oldham chose great songs to fill out the film. Rating: 7/10

Employee of the Month (2022, Véronique Jadin) is a Belgian dark comedy that is also quirky. The actors’ performances are a little rough sometimes; the film opts to be theatrical rather than thrilling. Still, it escalated properly and had a tight ending. Rating: 6/10

Petit mal (2022, Ruth Caudeli) is the second throuple movie I saw out of the festival. The challenge for the three women in the film is to spend an equal amount of time together, as one of them begins to feel like an outcast. It is indie in every sense of the word. It’s very quiet. It’s mostly in black and white and won’t be for everyone. The three women moo and make animal noises and that’s what seems to bring them together. There’s not a lot of character development, but there’s something charming and atmospheric about Ruth Caudeli’s sixth feature. Rating: 6/10