Episode 566: "Sister Midnight" and "The Old Woman with the Knife"

This week, we review two international films featuring unconventional women protagonists. First, Evan and Megan talk about SISTER MIDNIGHT (1:56), Karan Kandhari's "genre-bending" dark comedy (from the UK and India) about a woman in India (Radhika Apte) in an arranged marriage who experiences strange events. One of us loved the weird and bold film for Radhika Apte's excellent performance as the defiant protagonist, Kandhari's assured direction, the film's vivid cinematography and soundtrack, its irreverent humor, and horror genre subversion. But one of us initially liked it but found it too strange and ultimately tedious. Next, we all (Dave, Evan, and Megan) discuss THE OLD WOMAN WITH THE KNIFE (21:16), Min Kyu-dong's South Korean action film (based on the novel) about an iconic woman assassin in her sixties (Lee Hye-young) following a moral code clashing with a young hitman (Kim Sung-cheol). One of us really enjoyed the film for the film's exciting action sequences and Lee Hye-young's excellent lead performance. We all agreed she's fantastic and that the film offers a great premise. But two of us couldn't get onboard with the film due to its convoluted yet predictable narrative and tedious pacing. And on this week's Patreon exclusive bonus episode, we talk about WITNESS, Peter Weir's 1985 thriller, starring Harrison Ford and Kelly McGillis!