Girl Week 2019: Birthdays Appreciation

As a closing post to Dell's blogathon, I decided to homage some of the women of the film industry whose birthdays fell on this closing week. As I haven't seen all of their works to write one or more individual posts, I'm going to pick the best I've seen from them. But before getting into it, I'd like to thank Dell for yet again hosting this wonderful series. 

In birthday order...

Kathryn Bigelow, Zero Dark Thirty

I haven't seen a lot of the filmmaker's work so I had very limited choice but Zero Dark Thirty is by far her best work in my opinion. This is a compelling war film that sucks you in immediately with a story that frustrates you in the same way it frustrates its main character. The screenplay is flawed, but Bigelow's direction is flawless. Not only she gets an outstanding performance from Jessica Chastain, but she delivers a tense and suspenseful film.

Elizabeth Marvel, The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)

I had seen Elizabeth Marvel in many roles, mainly on television, but it's her performance in Noah Baumbach's The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) that struck me the most. She doesn't have the screen time she deserves and yet never misses the chance to shine whenever she has a scene as she gives a quirky and hilarious performance as the troubled Jean and makes us feel sorry for her — she has achieved so much in her career, more than her brothers and yet she is the forgotten child. 

Mary Elizabeth Winstead, 10 Cloverfield Lane

This is when I first saw Mary Elizabeth Winstead and you could say it was love at first sight. Or better, at first performance. Her performance as Michelle, a girl abducted and kept in a basement as the Cloverfield apocalypse was happening, is strong and believable. She captures the character's fear and nervousness perfectly without acting helpless the whole time, and she really makes you feel those same emotions Michelle feels. 

Emily Mortimer, Lars and the Real Girl

I'm not very familiar with Emily Mortimer's work but I've been meaning to watch more since I watched Lars and the Real Girl. Here Mortimer steals the show with a wonderful performance as the caring and worried sister-in-law, the sympathy and at times frustration she shows towards her brother-in-law feeling incredibly genuine.

Once again, thank you, Dell, for hosting the blogathon this year too!