You may notice a few changes. First of all, it’s Thursday! What’s this doing a day early? I’m going to move New Shows + Movies by Women from Friday to Thursday. I’d like it to be a permanent move, but I want to make sure it works well first. It’s a better day for readership, and it gives readers a little more prep time to plan ahead for their weekend viewing. I’ll still cover everything coming out through Friday for the week.
I’m also playing around with titling. Dates are good, but they don’t grab people. Folks don’t click on something that says April 2022 because it’s now out of date…yet the shows and movies featured in that article will still be just as directed by women as they were a year ago. The purpose of the article and information it has doesn’t change or lose value, and the title should reflect that. Besides, the date remains the first thing after the title when you click through.
New series this week come from Japan, while new movies come from Italy and the U.S.
NEW SERIES
Dearest (Netflix)
directed by Tsukahara Ayuko
(Yes, Netflix is still terrible about releasing trailers for their smaller international licenses.)
In this Japanese series, Rio is a businesswoman who discovers she witnessed a murder 15 years prior. She has to navigate this newfound responsibility between the contrary urges of an old flame detective and a protective lawyer.
Tsukahara Ayuko directs. She’s directed a ton of Japanese series, including on Nogi Akiko’s “MIU404”, which landed last month (and which I loved).
“Dearest” is another in Netflix’s recent push to bring on more Japanese broadcast series.
You can watch “Dearest” (or “Saiai”) on Netflix. All 10 episodes are available immediately.
NEW MOVIES
The Woman King (Netflix)
directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
“The Woman King” depicts Dahomey, an historical kingdom that counted among the most powerful nations in Africa in the 18th and 19th centuries. Viola Davis, Lashana Lynch, and John Boyega star.
Director Gina Prince-Bythewood also helmed “The Old Guard”, “Beyond the Lights”, and “The Secrets Life of Bees”. She started in the 90s as a writer on “A Different World”.
You can watch “The Woman King” on Netflix.
Game of Love (Hulu)
directed by Elisa Amoruso
Bella Thorne stars as Vivien, whose partner Roy is preparing the family estate for sale. She discovers secrets about his past that put their romance in jeopardy. The film is Italian, but English language.
Elisa Amoruso has directed and co-written a number of romantic dramas, including Thorne’s previous “Time is Up”, which forms a loose franchise with “Game of Love”.
“Game of Love” debuts Friday, Feb. 17. You can watch it on Hulu.
Take a look at new shows + movies by women from past weeks.
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Gabriel Diego Valdez 