"A truly creative new director? Well, the whole world is waiting. And here (the U.S.), the directors with real genius seem to have become so enamored of success that they've become seduced by the chance to make big money by turning out a flashy product for young people. When I was young, I ran to see Astaire and Rogers, Huston, Lubitsch - they were formative for me. I also read Flash Gordon when I was 6, but if I were still reading it when I was 16, I'd have been an imbecile. So what I'm saying is that these directors who are so in love with success, no matter how great their talent, are ultimately disappointing. This is all part of the crisis. Now, when it comes to the better exponents of this kind of film, I admit I run to see them too. I adore the work of Lucas and Spielberg. I'm certainly not trying to minimize their talents, but I'd love to see what they could do when they aren't leading us from reality." Italian Filmmaker Lina Wertmuller


A long quote, I know, but worth reading and relevant with the Comic-Con Convention wrapping up last night in San Diego. Warner Brothers announced that the inevitable sequel to "Wonder Woman" is in the pipeline. That relates to Wertmuller's point about directors leading us from reality. Most of us don't have superpowers that we can use to combat super-villains. We do, however, have to deal with issues such as equal pay, parenting, illness, caregiving, etc.

Most films written and directed by women confront these real-life issues. Additionally, when a film has at least one female director and/or writer, the lead character is a women 57% of the time. This is certainly true for Valeria Golino's directorial debut, "Honey" ("Miele" is the Italian title). Irene, AKA Honey, is an independent young woman. She decides that she can best serve terminally ill patients by assisting them in ending their lives. Now, you may agree or disagree but Golino's film approaches the issue in a non-judgemental way. The viewer is allowed to make up her own mind.

Golino's first acting job was in a Lina Wertmuller film. Wertmuller was the first woman to be nominated for a Best Director Academy Award (1975) for a film she also wrote. Perhaps Wertmuller was an inspiration for Golino, but there are not many Italian women active as directors. As of yet, Golino has not announced another directing project. I admire the way Golino utilized music and sound to enhance the images in "Honey" and delineate character. I'm hoping she finds another subject to explore as a director.


Here's the latest article from the Drama Movies site at BellaOnline.com.

Honey Film Review
Actress Valeria Golino, whose English-language films include "Rain Man" and "The Indian Runner", steps behind the camera to direct her first feature. "Honey" tackles the difficult subject of assisted suicide via an engaging heroine and her unlikely friendship with a cantankerous older man.

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art25898.asp

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