Atlanta Jewish Film Festival – Girlfriends

In Claudia Weill’s endearing, warmly funny indie gem, a listless Upper West Sider strives to make it in the big city while grieving her best friend’s marriage. Fresh from college, aspiring shutterbug Suzie Weinblatt supports herself shooting weddings and bar mitzvahs. Lonely and frustrated, she’s dealt a new blow when her roommate abruptly moves out to get hitched, opening a gulf between them. Melanie Mayron and Anita Skinner costar as the titular girlfriends, with Eli Wallach as a flirtatious rabbi and Christopher Guest as a flighty boyfriend. Preserved by the National Film Registry, this underrated masterpiece of 1970s New York nostalgia (digitally restored from the 16mm original) is among cinema’s most authentic depictions of female friendship.