Women in film was a hot topic in 2015, both behind and in front of the camera, and there’s no doubt that gender disparity remains a huge problem for the industry. This year has, however, seen a number of filmmakers create strong, memorable and diverse female characters, and I wrote the following piece in celebration of the best of them for the British Independent Film Awards ceremony brochure.
While the title may bring to mind flippant adolescent attachments, Miss You Already is, in fact, an astute study of adult female friendships, as seen through the intense prism of terminal illness. Transplanted American Jess (Drew Barrymore) and Londoner Milly (Toni Collette) have been friends since childhood, standing firm in the face of teenage traumas, university excess, marriages and kids until Milly is diagnosed with aggressive breast cancer.
