Actress Ahna O'Reilly (1984)

Where the Crawdads Sing (2022) is based on Delia Owens’ novel of the same name and was directed by Olivia Newman. The screenplay was written by Lucy Alibar, with production by Reese Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter. Set in a North Carolina marsh in 1953, the story follows Kya’s life after her family falls apart. Left alone with their abusive and alcoholic father, Kya eventually finds herself abandoned at just seven ...

Lucky Them (2013), an American comedy-drama film by Megan Griffiths, follows Ellie Klug, a music critic in her 40s at Stax, a dying underground magazine. For her next assignment, Giles, her editor, tasks Ellie with writing about Matthew Smith’s mysterious disappearance and assumed suicide on its 10th anniversary. While most people believe he is dead, Ellie, who was Matthew’s childhood sweetheart and last remained with him before he vanished, remains hopeful of finding him. After an online tip leads her to a potential lead on Matthew’s whereabouts, Giles gives Ellie a thousand dollars to pay the source. ...

The film Fruitvale Station (2013), directed and written by Ryan Coogler, explores the events leading up to the death of 22-year-old Oscar Grant III from Hayward, California. The movie opens with actual footage of Oscar and his friends being held by BART Police at the Fruitvale station in Oakland on January 1, 2009 at 2:15 a.m., moments before the fatal shooting. Throughout the day, Oscar faces challenges such as infidelity in his relationship, losing his job at Farmer Joe’s grocery store, and considering returning to drug dealing before ultimately deciding to get rid of his stash. In the evening, he joins his ...

The Help (2011), a period drama film directed and written by Tate Taylor, is based on Kathryn Stockett’s 2009 novel of the same title. Set in Jackson, Mississippi in 1963, the story follows Aibileen Clark, an African-American domestic worker who works for socialite Elizabeth Leefolt. Aibileen cares for Elizabeth’s two-year-old daughter Mae Mobley as Elizabeth neglects her emotionally. Aibileen’s close friend Minny Jackson also works as a maid for Mrs. Walters and her manipulative daughter Hilly Holbrook, who is known for leading the women’s ...