Little Miss Sunshine was co-directed by Valerie Farris and her husband. It is a tale of an eccentric family on a road trip as they all fight their own internal battles. It offers an insight into the more complex aspects of family and life through unconditional love, nostalgia, and loss. It is a darkly comedic insight into modern families and the impact of American propaganda and society in the 2000s.
Chloe Zhao’s work shows a particular care for visual effect. The stories she tells are often just as beautiful visually as they are on an emotional and character level. Most famous for Nomadland and Marvel’s Eternals, she recently came out with Hamnet, an adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel of the same name. It is a beautiful story of Shakespeare’s wife and family, rooted in a feminist lens. The film brings these people, particularly his wife, Agnes, to life in a deeply emotional and tangible way.
Greta Gerwig is most well-known for her films Barbie, Little Women or Ladybird. All of her films present womanhood and girlhood in a variety of ways and all show brilliant female characters offering diversity and individuality. Little Women retells Louisa May Alcott’s novel placing at the forefront, themes of family, love and sisterhood. It explores the issues women faced, but still keeps their characters alive and powerful. Ladybird is a coming of age story of a young girl dreaming of something more than the small town she lives in. The film depicts an emotional journey of class, complicated family relationships, and identity.