From the enthusiastic old ladies of “Poms” to the endearing but insecure young people of “Booksmart”, Hollywood has recently turned to female friendship with several films that explore the intimate links between women beyond romantic and family relationships.
A film legend like Diane Keaton, who in May premiered the film “Poms” by the director Zara Hayes in the country about retired women who organize a team of cheerleaders, was surprised in an interview with Efe about the relative scarcity of films about friendship, especially when compared to the infinite list of films that revolve around love.
“What attracted me to ‘Poms’ is the role of friendship in the process of dying and how important friendship is,” he said.
“I really liked that friendship was the central element that saved the last months of this woman’s life,” added the Oscar winner for “Annie Hall” (1977).
Keaton plays a cancer patient who, looking for a peace retreat in a retirement home, ends up running into some women who will become her inseparable friends and with whom she forms a team of cheerleaders.
Depression, loneliness or the passage of time are, after laughter and funny situations, the backdrop of this emotional comedy in which shines Keaton, who last year already investigated the friendship between older women with “Book Club” (2018).
In the same way that his character in “Poms” constantly relies on the role played by Jacki Weaver, who becomes “a lifesaver” for her, Keaton stressed that friendship crossed the border of fiction.
“Jacki was someone who really helped me in the difficult scenes.
When my character was angry or very scared, she was there. It’s the kind of actress who gives a lot, “he said.
While “Poms” focuses on female friendship during retirement, “Booksmart”, the acclaimed debut as director of actress Olivia Wilde, focuses on another unique stage of life, although perhaps something more convulsive and intense: adolescence.
“There are not enough movies and songs about love between friends and, of course, the end of a friendship, you know, breaking a friendship can be traumatic in ways that are sometimes deeper than those of a romantic breakup.” said Wilde to Efe.
“Because society gives us the context for the end of a romantic relationship, in a way, we prepare ourselves to have different relationships and we know we will be cured, but the friendships are so deep … You are very vulnerable to that best friend, especially in the institute, “he added.
Released a couple of weeks ago among very positive reviews, “Booksmart” tells the last day at the institute of Molly (Beanie Feldstein) and Amy (Kaitlyn Dever), two inseparable friends who, too obsessed with being the perfect students, have forgotten to enjoy your adolescence.
Described as the female equivalent of “Superbad” (2007) and heiress of another generation reference as “Mean Girls” (2004), “Booksmart” has a closer antecedent in “Blockers” (2018), a comedy that also described the friendship among young women paying attention to issues such as sexuality or social pressure.
And another actress who recently made the leap to the direction was Amy Poehler, who in “Wine Country”, premiered on May 10 on Netflix, told the story of some middle-aged friends who, to celebrate the fiftieth birthday of one of them , they go on vacation to the California vineyards of Napa.
“They have teenage children, they have elderly parents, sometimes their jobs are more busy than ever, there’s a lot to explore there,” Poehler told Efe about the challenges of women in their forties and fifties.
“I wanted to allow women in the film to show themselves because they do not always have the opportunity to do so,” he said on a tape reminiscent of “Sideways” (2004).
With women asking for more presence in Hollywood, “Poms”, “Booksmart” and “Wine Country”, from different approaches, add nuances to a portrait of female friendship that in recent years had other outstanding titles such as “Bridesmaids” (2011) , “Frances Ha” (2012), “Girls Trip” (2017), the two “Bad Moms” (2016 and 2017) or the “Pitch Perfect” trilogy (2012, 2015 and 2017). (EFEUSA) .-
