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Weekly Directed By Women Viewing Guide

Lily McInerny in Jamie Dack’s Sundance-winning drama Palm Trees and Power Lines

This week I’m recommending four festival films finally in wide(ish) release and three films that represent their respective director’s sole narrative feature film output.

Jonathan Tucker and Lily McInerny in Jamie Dack’s powerful drama Palm Trees and Power Lines

I first saw Jamie Dack’s powerful Palm Trees and Power Lines as part of the virtual Sundance in 2022, where I interviewed her for The Playlist. She then went on to win the Best Director award for the festival. I was lucky enough to then see the film again, this time on the big screen at the Music Box Theater, as part of the Chicago Critics Film Festival and I am so glad I did.

This is a delicate drama that tackles grooming and sex trafficking with a deft hand. Newcomer Lily McInerny is outstanding as Lea, a lonely girl growing up in what appears to be the Inland Empire part of California. Her slightly neglectful mother (Gretchen Mol) is floundering through life, leaving Lea particularly isolated and vulnerable. When she meets a charming, handsome, slightly older man named Tom (Jonathan Tucker), she is unable to parse his many red flags and slowly finds her in a situation she has little control over.

This is not an easy watch, but it’s not exploitative either. The strong performances from the cast, along with Dack’s masterful direction, make this one of the first must-watch movies of the year. It’s currently playing at the Village East in NYC, the Laemmle NoHo in LA, and you can find other tickets and showtimes for the rest of the country here.