A WOMAN, A PART

"A Woman, A Part’s refreshing departures from the norm are to be found less in the film’s form, which remains rather conventional, and more in its treatment of human subjects, particularly its willingness to push back against hackneyed character types and insist on the need to represent diverse people and experiences onscreen. If only more American independent cinema was this poignant and compelling."

"Subrin is an empathetic filmmaker with an obvious respect for actors, both as collaborators and as subjects"

"And about women specifically, Subrin cites a Susan Sontag quote to address gender performance: "to be a woman is to be an actress." To an extent, we're all projecting and performing our female and/or male roles, but "to another extent," says Subrin, "the burden of appearance in how one is presented to the world, and the sub-consciousness around that is something men don't deal with as much. The line between acting and being is a much more complicated issue for women."

“Occasionally, you see a low-budget indie drama that strikes the perfect balance….Elisabeth Subrin, the writer-director of “A Woman, a Part” (her first feature), hits that kind of balance. She has made a movie that unfolds organically, and seems no more driven by narrative concerns than a cat playing with a ball of yarn. Yet “A Woman, a Part” knows how to hold an audience, and it’s got a fresh, if commercially limited, subject: What happens when hipsters get old.”

"...actors often nowadays seem to have more freedom to push the boundaries of their art and to explore its radical possibilities. This is what Maggie Siff does in Elisabeth Subrin’s A Woman, a Part, a psychological study of just how contradictory and terrifying it can be to pretend, as a matter of professional duty, to be someone else."

"Elisabeth Subrin's A Woman, A Part takes on the industry with grace, insight and some big ideas."

"Subrin’s drama is an insightful, heartfelt examination of acting, and how it can allow us to access emotional parts of ourselves that we otherwise wouldn’t but can also serve as a cover against being truly genuine. Siff, so incredible this year on Billions, proves that her continually rising fame is no fluke, while Seymour and Ortiz deliver in supporting roles. A Woman, A Part owes a debt to John Cassavetes in the way it examines gender roles and the life of an actress, but it feels confidently its own piece at the same time."