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Summer is officially upon us, and this year, women are not only acting in some great Blockbusters — they’re stepping behind the screen and directing them as well. From Sundance Screened to Netflix Originals, documentaries, dramas, and everything in between, take a look at these 10 Summer movies directed by women you’ll want to add to your Must-See list.
1. Woman Walks Ahead (June 29)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qHR0AEDMg0M
Directed by Susanna White, Woman Walks Ahead is based on real events and stars actress Jessica Chastain as Catherine Weldon, a painter who travels from New York City to the Dakotas to paint the Sitting Bull. While there, Catherine becomes involved in the Lakota people’s fight for their land. Academy Award winner Sam Rockwell is also set to star.
2. The Spy Who Dumped Me (August 3)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjaHhduqS5o
Directed by Susanna Fogel, Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis play Morgan and Audrey, two best friends who become involved in some international crime after Audrey finds out her ex-boyfriend is a spy. The chemistry between Kunis and McKinnon is pretty rock solid which makes this movie a dead ringer for being nothing but a good time.
3. Set It Up (June 15)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-eRc9PF3TU
Directed by Claire Scanlon, Set It Up is about two overworked millennials (Zoey Deutch and Glen Powell) attempting to get their demanding bosses (Taye Diggs and Lucy Liu) off their backs by setting them up with each other. The result is a quirky sequence of events that feels like a classic rom-com in the best way possible.
4. Social Animals (June 1)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EiFGL9OM0fs
Directed by Theresa Bennett, Samira Wiley, Carly Chaikin, and Josh Radnor star in this comedy about a stoner twenty-something who attempts to salvage her life and business while simultaneously hooking up with a married man. Talk about complicated!
5. Leave No Trace: June 29
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_07ktacEGo8
Directed by Debra Granik, Ben Foster and newcomer Thomasin Harcourt McKenzie star in this survivalist drama about a father-daughter duo whose tranquil existence in the forests of Portland, Oregon, is disrupted when the government forces them into social services. Now, fed up with their new surroundings, the pair make an attempt to make it back to the woods they’ve called home for over a decade.
6. The Darkest Minds: August 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tN8o_E_f9FQ
Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson, This Is Us actress Mandy Moore plays a doctor in this action film about a group of teenagers who receive special abilities after all their peers are killed by a plague. Together the youths band together and rebel against the system that harmed the other kids.
7. Year of Spectacular Men: June 15
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E4rZHMWzF1I
Year of Spectacular Men is a movie meant to be a family affair. Directed by Lea Thompson and starring her daughters Zoey Deutch and Madelyn (who wrote the script also), the movie centers on two sisters: one younger and still figuring out life, the other older, famous, and successful. When the younger sister moves in with the older sister after breaking up with her boyfriend, what follows is a funny story of self-discovery and sisterhood that’s heartfelt.
8. Boundaries (June 22)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q0g-qrvnuRY
Directed by Shana Feste, Vera Farmiga and Christopher Plummer star in this indie flick about a woman who has to drive her estranged, pot-dealing father across the country after he’s kicked out of his nursing home.
9. Generation Wealth (July 20)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fyfC1AVhfb8
Directed by Lauren Greenfield, this captivating documentary explores America’s obsession with wealth, told through the eyes of real people who are totally fixated on money.
10. Never Goin’ Back: August 3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9q7g4zz20Kc
Directed by Augustine Frizzell, Never Goin Back focuses on two teenage waitresses who ditch their jobs for a week to go on a beach vacation. Of course in true cinematic nature, their plans go awry and leave them on the streets of Dallas, where they have to do several high jinks for fast cash.
Which film(or films) is on your must-see list?
