Persepolis – you’ve probably heard of it or seen it. Marji talks a lot to her grandmother about religion and ethics and politics – they also have a conversation about divorce, which is obviously about a man, but more about divorce, really, and very funny.

Then there’s one of my favourite Aussie movies, “Look Both Ways”. It is partly a hetero love story, but it’s really about death and the fear of mortality. And the main character talks to her best friend about her dad dying and about work – memorable line “you try being seven months pregnant and…[forget the middle bit]… being told by your supervisor that quadruplegics just lack motivation.”

Maybe I unconciously loved these movies because they followed ‘The Rule’ – but I don’t think so – they were just generally fabulous. Oh there are so many good movies in the world. Maybe the rule should be “see at least one movie per month that’s not American.”

I nearly ended there, on that sweeping generalisation, but then I realised – all three of these fabulous movies were directed and/or written by women. Hm. So, fabulous American (or otherwise) female movie directors? Recommendations?

ps I just saw “Man on Wire” (about Phillippe Petit who tightrope walked between the twin towers in 1973) — doesn’t follow The Rule, but it was delightful in its own way and very Errol Morris-like.

Re: the comments on Antonia’s Line, the 1995 film by Dutch director Marleen Gorris. Yeah, that was a good movie. Her 1982 film A Question of Silence was a formative feminist influence on me. Remember the scene in court where all the women, including the defendants, the jury members, and the court-appointed psychiatrist, slowly start laughing together until they’re all hysterical?