In Jane Austen's times the fate of a woman was pretty direct: either to get married to a man with a suitable income or "enjoy" the pleasures of spinsterhood, being a burden for parents. Nowadays options are pretty infinite. You can be a business mogul, a wife, and a mother, a lover, or someone who finally discovered their true desires and has the guts to turn passion into a reality. It's also a great time to question choices made, relationships entered into, and despite the age and life stage, start something new. And which women to admire when it comes to sexual liberation and self-fulfillment? French Women. Enjoy.
You can be besotted by many things: by a woman, who charms your worn heart and clicks all the right buttons, by music or a voice, which drive you to happiness, tears or madness. You can also become besotted with a story, which we all have done at some point in our lives. But being subjected to the fantasy that comprises generations of fans, doesn't mean that we are content with the superficial and don't want to meet the creator. What triggers a young mind to enter the world of legends and languages? How important is a passion as opposed to education, hard work, and money making in order to gain material possessions? Why genuine friendship doesn't care about status and background? Can you still love one person throughout a lifetime and why the answer to the most complicated stories is surprisingly simple? A play on biography and one more step towards getting to know one of the most influential writers of his and a few more generations. Tolkien.
It's fun to have all sorts of heroes. Heroes with whom we can identify, heroes whom we admire and aspire to become, and heroes with whom in these uncertain times we can feel secure. But heroism has different sides. Sometimes having super extra powers doesn't mean that you are ultimately on the side of good. Sometimes it is a matter of choices. What if your father was the epitome of evil? Should you obey your adoptive parent despite a strong desire for independence? Can you, while being a middle-aged monster slightly insecure in appearance and relationship-messed to an entirely different level, enter the path towards settling down and self-acceptance? Or identity crisis is experienced by everybody, including the once found, abandoned by fate, fiery, and funny Hellboy? 2004, 2008, and 2019 films based on Mike Migola's comic book character prove that there is always some desire for evil. Enjoy.
You know these female friendships, they can last for years. They are full of support, understanding, parties danced to, evenings drown in glasses of wine, sobs over broken-hearts and loads of laughter. But friendships easily border on relationships, and every love can just as easily turn into hatred. What if years-long fondness and passion are a trigger for lobbying injust political decisions? Is it possible to escape from toxic manipulation and decades of caliper-like dependence? How much can you win when you establish the right relations, know who to talk to and how to use the right moment for your own benefit? And is every best friend forever or can you be easily replaced by a better version and lose once cherished life of privilege? The Favourite.
In the man-dominated world, we appreciate the story of the success of those who spread their wings and won a sense of independence. Among the few company owners who boast to be of beautiful sex, there was one woman who changed the fashion and perception of women for years. But is creating a fashion empire devoid of pain and heartbreak? What hides behind the cover of success and is this success a hard path to follow? Is it better to be in a loveless marriage with all privileges or feel loved without any recognition at all? What stands behind every woman's decision and is there a chance for no regrets? A woman's road to financial independence and success. Audrey Tautou in Coco Before Chanel.
The greatest decisions in our lives are made when we lose all sense of security. When the monsters that we are so deeply afraid of come into fruition from gossips overheard and other people's calamities, and happen to us, we lose balance and hope. We can give up, swimming in the pool of misery. But occasionally, having nothing else to keep us is in the cage of blissful idleness, we are ready to spread our wings and start anew.
Is being fired from a seemingly profitable job that made you run for years the end of the world? Is discovering that your long-lasting marriage is an ultimate fail and a lie the worst tragedy that could happen to a mature woman with a grown-up kid? Should we devote our lives to people and institutions who don't seem to devote themselves to us? Is it ever too late for love, friendship, passion, and education? When life gives you lemons, make lemonade. It can be the greatest drink of your life, indeed. Larry Crowne and Life of the Party, two perspectives on how to back to square one.
Reminding ourselves one of Michael Jackson's songs, be careful who you love, because the ones we fall for rarely fill our dreamy expectations. Some of them manage to surpass them in the most extravagant and unexpected ways. Some of them, from the scenario of bliss and family peace, turn our lives into a never-ending nightmare. You never entirely know a human being, whether you have lived with this person for years; whether it is your child, parent, or partner. But would you suspect someone you love of the worst crimes? Would you believe the whole world when it knows it all against your better judgment? What if the object of your affection turned out to be the worst murderer of his generation? Based on facts, an entertaining outlook on Ted Bundy's trial and one hell of a broken heart, proving that bad luck in love can have disastrous consequences. Enjoy.