In Praise Of | Little White Lies

In Praise Of

Glamorous woman in lavish blue and purple tulle dress, reclining on a chaise lounge against a leopard print backdrop.
In Praise Of

How Jayne Mansfield set the blueprint for today’s modern reality stars

by Marta Djordjevic

Through her care­ful­ly-craft­ed per­sona and infa­mous pub­lic­i­ty stunts, she was tru­ly the first exam­ple of an A‑lister famous for being famous.
A woman with blonde hair wearing a floral-patterned top sits at a table, looking directly at the camera with a serious expression.
In Praise Of

Why I love Gena Rowlands’ performance in A Woman Under the Influence

by Molly Cavanagh

As the long-suf­fer­ing Mabel Longhet­ti, Row­lands is unfor­get­table in hus­band John Cas­savetes’ por­trait of a des­per­ate housewife.
Woman in yellow dress holding a drink, smiling, with other people in the background.
In Praise Of

Reimaging the rom-com abroad in Under the Tuscan Sun

by Noah Britton

Audrey Wells’ Ital­ian-set dra­ma offers a com­fort­ing por­tray­al on female agency and the mul­ti­tudes of romance.
Young woman sat on a grassy field, looking upwards with a serious expression, black and white image.
In Praise Of

In praise of The Juniper Tree – The cult classic that gave Björk her first film role

by Rachel Pronger

Before she was a glob­al super­star, the Ice­landic singer was a bewitch­ing sup­port­ing play­er in Niet­zch­ka Keene’s folk­lore drama.
Two well-dressed people sitting in a car, a man and a woman, in a black and white film noir style image.
In Praise Of

Why I love Robert Mitchum’s performance in Cape Fear

by Adam Scovell

Six­ty years after its release, the act­ing great’s unnerv­ing per­for­mance as venge­ful con­vict Max Cady still packs a punch.
Four images showing people in different settings. Top left: People in what appears to be a record shop. Top right: A person sitting alone in a room. Bottom left: A close-up of a person's face. Bottom right: An abstract image with patterns and textures.
In Praise Of

In praise of Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story

by Nick Joyner

Over 30 years lat­er, Todd Haynes’ exper­i­men­tal doc­u­men­tary remains a vision­ary look at female celebrity.
Two people sitting at a dimly lit table, smoking and drinking alcoholic beverages, with various bottles and snacks on the table.
In Praise Of

Discover a classic, booze-fuelled sequence of female self discovery

by Marina Ashioti

In praise of Juho Kuosmanen’s Com­part­ment No. 6 and a scene of human con­nec­tion around shots of moonshine.
A bearded man with long dark hair and a warm smile, set against a dimly lit background.
In Praise Of

Scene Stealers: A late descent into madness in Nightmare Alley

by Hannah Strong

Bradley Coop­er’s suave carny gets his come­up­pance at the cli­max of Guiller­mo del Toro’s neo-noir.
Two individuals, a woman wearing a "We are feminists" t-shirt and a man, standing together and preparing food in a kitchen.
In Praise Of

Celebrating the complexity of motherhood with Almodóvar and Gyllenhaal

by Anne-Sofie Lindgaard

Par­al­lel Moth­ers and The Lost Daugh­ter oper­ate as engag­ing texts on the con­tra­dic­tions and com­pli­ca­tions of being a mother.
Woman with round glasses, curly hair, and serious expression in conversation with another person.
In Praise Of

Why I love Liv Ullmann’s performance in Autumn Sonata

by Matt St Clair

As she receives an hon­orary Acad­e­my Award, we cel­e­brate Liv Ullmann’s lead turn in an Ing­mar Bergman classic.