For the second installment of her film club, fashion designer Lucila Safdie presents four films inspired by Barbara Loden’s cult feminist classic Wanda.
Wanda (1970) – Barbara Loden
It’s worth reading a bit about Barbara Loden’s life before watching Wanda to understand how her own experiences inform the character. Inspired by an article she read while working as an actress, Wanda is a low-budget (and incredible) film that tells the delicate story of a “talentless” woman drifting through life in a small town in the USA. She navigates a world where she feels powerless and disconnected, reflecting Loden’s own exploration of isolation and self-worth.
Cléo from 5 to 7 (1962) – Agnes Varda
A classic by Agnes Varda, Cléo from 5 to 7 follows famous singer Cléo Marchand, as she waits to hear the results of her biopsy while walking the streets of Paris. Initially, Cléo seems vain and superficial, but as the film unfolds, we begin to see the depth of her emotional turmoil. The movie captures her anxieties, vulnerability, and the connection she forms with herself during those two hours of uncertainty.
I Knew Her Well (1965) – Antonio Pietrangeli
I Knew Her Well is another film about a woman from a rural background with little education. In this film she moves to the big city to pursue a career as an actress. Like Wanda, the protagonist is seen as “talentless” and the film subtly uncovers her inner anxieties and fears. Throughout the story, we see how she is shaped by the men she encounters, and how her worth is defined by them. The changing hairstyles and costumes in the film are a striking visual representation of her ever-changing representation of her identity.
Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce, 1080 Brussels (1975) – Chantal Akerman
Jeanne Dielman is a slow-paced, long film, but it’s deeply worth watching. It details the daily routine of Jeanne, a middle-aged widow who supplements her income by working as a sex worker. Like the other films mentioned, Akerman gives space to a woman who is often overlooked and dismissed as unimportant—in this case, a housewife. The film’s attention to her routine speaks about the isolation, exhaustion, and emotional weight carried by women.
Trenque Lauquen (2022) – Laura Citarella
Trenque Lauquen is perhaps the least connected to Wanda, but I find parallels in its delicate narrative style and introspective themes. This mystery film is set in a small town in Argentina and revolves around the disappearance of a botanist, weaving together various stories that may or may not be connected to the case. The film has a slightly surreal, uncomfortable tone, while also being poetic and dream-like. It explores themes of identity, loss, and the complexities of human relationships in a subtle and fragmented way.
Main image: still from Barbara Loden’s Wanda (1970)
