A Look Inside the Ivy and Bean Film Series
The tale of two friends spans three films and gives wonderful representation for young girls everywhere.

A 3,000-year-old statue, stolen from an international museum, lands in Gujarat and falls into the hands of pickpockets Nagda and Pintu, who trade it to hotel owner Dhanraj to cover their food bill. When they discover that the government is offering a reward of ₹50,00,000 for the statue, they decide to steal it back from Dhanraj's mansion. Meanwhile, unemployed friends Raju and Santosh, dressed as policemen, arrive to steal jewelry. When the duo encounter Nagda and Pintu, they learn about the valuable statue and join the hunt.
The tale of two friends spans three films and gives wonderful representation for young girls everywhere.
Perhaps the most amazing and groundbreaking quality about The Birdcage is how removed it is from both illness and insensitivity. Whereas films preceding it were often somber stories about the tribulations of being gay in a conservatively straight world, Nichols and screenwriter Elaine May expose the fallacies of conservatism as traditional values are thrown into a more open-minded space. They don’t care how far the community has fallen so much as how high they can rebuild themselves.
Netflix’s new rom-com, Voicemails for Isabelle (dir. Leah McKendrick), isn’t just heartwarming, funny, and an achievement in female directing - it’s also an instant classic. Following 20-something aspiring baker Jill (Zoey Deutch), Voicemails for Isabelle tells a story of grief, self-discovery, and fateful connections. Ever since her beloved sister Izzy’s (Ciara Bravo) death, Jill has been leaving her hilarious, extremely TMI voicemails about her chaotic love life and miserable day job as a prep cook. Little does she know that a handsome and unsatisfied real estate agent in her hometown has inherited the number and practically fallen in love with her by listening to her stories.
One of the reasons I love watching movies is that, much like books, they serve as windows into other times and different places. Productions from around the world offer valuable insights into the history and culture of their respective countries. And just like literature, cinema can help us understand the present by showing us the past.
If the message here is that without a support system, grieving people turn into monsters, it’s not really well-delivered and may be flawed as a message itself.
Of the 28 total films I watched, just six of them were queer or featured queer characters in some way.