Features, Films, Women Directors

The Best-Reviewed Women-Directed Films of 2016 According to Rotten Tomatoes

“The Love Witch”

As 2016 winds down, critics associations and outlets are furiously compiling “Best of” lists. This was a really strong year for cinema — so strong, that a record-breaking amount of features were Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes’ Tomatometer. A press release from the website announced that 184 out of 1057 films scored from January 1, 2016 — December 13, 2016 received the Certified Fresh seal, assigned to “movies with a steady Tomatometer of 75 percent or higher after a set amount of reviews (80 for wide-releases and 40 for limited release movies), including five reviews from top critics.” (Absent from the list is Maren Ade’s “Toni Erdmann.” The critical darling doesn’t hits U.S. theaters until December 25.)

Of the 184 Certified Fresh films, 31 are directed by women, amounting to 17 percent. We know that in general, women have less opportunities to make films than men and are typically hired for less high-profile gigs (for a whole host of reasons) so it doesn’t come as a surprise that most of the films Certified Fresh are helmed by men.

It is, however, important to consider that Rotten Tomatoes, and film criticism, suffer from a dearth of women’s voices. Research from Dr. Martha Lauzen and The Center for the Study of Women in Television & Film shows that “the vast majority of ‘top critics’ on the Rotten Tomatoes website are men. In spring 2016, women comprised just 27 percent and men 73 percent of these individuals.” “Regardless of job title, male writers outnumber female writers,” Lauzen writes. “Men accounted for 74 percent and women 26 percent of individuals working as film critics for media outlets,” and “in every type of publication, male reviewers dramatically outnumber female reviewers. For example, males comprised 80 percent and females 20 percent of individuals writing about film for trade publications.”

Many of the women-directed films that are Certified Fresh scored well above 75 percent on the Tomatometer: Some of the best-reviewed films of the year include Mia Hansen-Løve’s “Things to Come” (100 percent Fresh), Anna Biller’s “The Love Witch” (98 percent Fresh), and Anne Fontaine’s “The Innocents” (95 percent Fresh). If you are unfamiliar with these critically acclaimed titles, bear in mind that none of them got wide releases.

The only Certified Fresh women-directed films to open in 2,000+ theaters were Mira Nair’s “Queen of Katwe” (92 percent), Sharon Maguire’s “Bridget Jones’s Baby” (77 percent), and “Kung Fu Panda 3,” co-directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson (87 percent). Kelly Fremon Craig’s “The Edge of Seventeen” (95 percent) came close to the 2,000 benchmark — its widest release was 1,945 theaters. All of these films are among the 250 highest-grossing features of the year. “Kung Fu Panda 3” was the biggest women-directed hit at the box office. The third installment in the animated franchise took home over $143 million.

“We’re excited to see an increased percentage of movies that have earned Certified Fresh status this year,” said Rotten Tomatoes Editor-In-Chief Matt Atchity. “As people look for movies to watch, a Certified Fresh badge lets audiences know that a given movie is one of the best-reviewed films of the year.”

Strong reviews definitely bolster ticket sales. Some of the best-reviewed documentaries of the year, such as Laura Gabbert’s “City of Gold” (91 percent), Louise Osmond’s “Dark Horse” (97 percent) and “Weiner” (96 percent), co-directed by Elyse Steinberg, managed to make the cut of the top 250 grossing films of the year. “Weiner” is among the docs on the Oscar shortlist for Best Documentary Feature.

Check out the Certified Fresh women-directed films below. List adapted from Rotten Tomatoes. A number of the titles appear on Women and Hollywood’s lists of the best women-directed films of the year and the best women-centric films of the year.

“13th” (Documentary) — Directed by Ava DuVernay: Certified Fresh at 96%

“American Honey”— Directed by Andrea Arnold: Certified Fresh at 81%

“Bridget Jones’s Baby” — Directed by Sharon Maguire: Certified Fresh at 77%

“Cameraperson” (Documentary) — Directed by Kirsten Johnson: Certified Fresh at 100%

“Certain Women” — Directed by Kelly Reichardt : Certified Fresh at 89%

“Chevalier”— Directed by Athina Rachel Tsangari: Certified Fresh at 82%

“City Of Gold” (Documentary) — Directed by Laura Gabbert : Certified Fresh at 91%

“Dark Horse” (Documentary) — Directed by Louise Osmond: Certified Fresh at 97%

“Disorder (Maryland)” — Directed by Alice Winocour : Certified Fresh at 73%

“Elvis & Nixon” — Directed by Liza Johnson: Certified Fresh at 76%

“Equity” — Directed by Meera Menon: Certified Fresh at 81%

“Evolution” — Directed by Lucile Hadzihalilovic: Certified Fresh at 92%

“Into The Forest” — Directed by Patricia Rozema: Certified Fresh at 76%

“Kung Fu Panda 3” — Co-Directed by Jennifer Yuh Nelson: Certified Fresh at 87%

“Maggie’s Plan” — Directed by Rebecca Miller: Certified Fresh at 84%

“Miss Hokusai (Sarusuberi: Miss Hokusai)” — Co-Directed by Stephanie Sheh: Certified Fresh at 95%

“Miss Sharon Jones! (Documentary)” — Co-Directed by Barbara Kopple: Certified Fresh at 88%

“My King (Mon roi)” — Directed by Maïwenn: Certified Fresh at 73%

“Nuts! (Documentary)” — Directed by Penny Lane: Certified Fresh at 95%

“Queen of Katwe”— Directed by Mira Nair: Certified Fresh at 92%

“Summertime (La Belle Saison)” — Directed by Catherine Corsini: Certified Fresh at 92%

“Sweet Bean (An)” — Directed by Naomi Kawase: Certified Fresh at 86%

“Tallulah”— Directed by Sian Heder : Certified Fresh at 84%

“The Edge of Seventeen” — Directed by Kelly Fremon Craig: Certified Fresh at 95%

“The Fits” — Directed by Anna Rose Holmer: Certified Fresh at 97%

“The Innocents (Les innocentes)” — Directed by Anne Fontaine: Certified Fresh at 95%

“The Invitation” — Directed by Karyn Kusama: Certified Fresh at 88%

“The Love Witch”— Directed by Anna Biller: Certified Fresh at 98%

“The Meddler” — Directed by Lorene Scafaria: Certified Fresh at 84%

“Things to Come” — Directed by Mia Hansen-Løve: Certified Fresh at 100%

“Weiner” (Documentary) — Co-Directed by Elyse Steinberg: Certified Fresh at 96%

In Her Voice Podcast Episodes from This Week- May 12

Please check out the latest podcast episodes of In Her Voice Weekly News Brief on May 10- includes latest Writers Strike info Interview with Laurel Parmet- writer/director of The Starling Girl which...

Weekly Update for May 4: Women Centric, Directed, and Written Films Playing Near You

Films About Women Opening This Week   Angels Wear White — Written and Directed by Vivian Qu (Opens in NY; Opens in LA May 18) In a small seaside town, two schoolgirls are assaulted by a...

Trailer Watch: Fact and Fiction Blur in Andrea Riseborough-Starrer “Nancy”

Parents receive a phone call they’ve been waiting three decades for in a new trailer for Christina Choe’s “Nancy.” After appearing on the news, they hear from a woman claiming to be their...

Posts Search

Publishing Dates
Start date
- select start date -
End date
- select end date -
Category
News
Films
Interviews
Features
Trailers
Festivals
Television
RESET