Have things changed? 15 years ago when I started work on the representation of the old woman in films I was told (see ‘why this blog’ page) ‘who is interested in old women?’  Since then, at every  London Film Festival I have searched the programme and made a point of seeing films featuring old women.  Apart the from the seriously misogynistic The Mother that premiered to great acclaim at  the 47th Festival, there have been a very few   more or less interesting films with not a chance of being distributed widely.

This year what a surprise! there is an impressive cluster of films featuring  old women:

Quartet , Heneke’s Amour , Les Invisibles,   Epilogue,  Memories Look at Me,   Happy New Year Grandma,  Whatever Happened to Baby Jane, A Song for Marion.  And I do not mention the remake – why?-  of Great Expectations or Frank and Robot.  Amour was sold out within half an hour of the start of booking online. I hope it will open in London very soon.

I might have missed other films in the very confusing redesigned programme.

I will report in due course. Has Maggie Smith escaped her stereotype roles? Has Vanessa Redgrave chosen her role with her usual discrimination? Is the comedy really funny? Is Susan Sarandon portraying an older woman?  Do any of these films shed more light on the lives of the 60+  than the ones we have been offered in the last few years?

All will be revealed.