Year: 2019
Country: Australia
Director: Unjoo Moon
Cast: Tilda Cobham-Hervey, Danielle Macdonald, Evan Peters, Chris Parnell, Matty Cardarople
Genre: biography, drama, music
Runtime: 116 min.
Age: 16+
The story of 1970s musician and activist Helen Reddy
In 1966. Helen Reddy arrives in New York with her three-year-old daughter, a suitcase, and $230 in her pocket. She had been told she'd won a recording contract, but the record company promptly dashes her hopes by telling her it has enough female stars and suggests that she have fun in New York before returning home to Australia.
Helen, without a visa, decides to stay in New York anyway and pursue a singing career, struggling to make ends meet and provide for her daughter. She befriends legendary rock journalist Lillian Roxon, who becomes her closest confidante. Lillian inspires her to write and sing the iconic song "I Am Woman" which becomes the anthem for the second-wave feminist movement and galvanizes a generation of women to fight for change. She also meets Jeff Wald, a young aspiring talent manager who becomes her agent and husband. Jeff helps her get to the top, but he also suffers from a drug addiction that gradually turns their relationship toxic.
Awards & Festivals:
Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts (AACTA) Award nomination – Best Film, Best Lead Actress, Best Sound, Best Editing, Best Original Score, Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, Best Casting
Golden Reel Award – Outstanding Achievement in Sound Editing - Feature Musical
Women's Image Network Award – Actress - Feature Film