Acting Like Women (2026)

-Written by Whitney Scott Bain. 

2026 BENTONVILLE FILM FESTIVAL REVIEW! 

Lily Tomlin, a creative comedy genius in her own right, and her partner, Jane Wagner, who wrote one of the best stories, J.T., in the sixties about a little boy who finds a cat in a disheveled neighborhood, nurses it back to health, and forms a bond with it, executive produce this interesting documentary, Acting Like Women, on the women’s movement about performance art.

Cheri Gaulke’s direction starts off with archival footage from the sixties and the seventies through commercials and home movies as she puts on her red shoes, inviting us into a world of performance art featuring women who influenced a generational culture. 

Tomlin gives us her perspective along with other artists, many of them in their seventies and eighties now, featuring some gay and lesbian themes along with the feminist movement and animal rights activism in their works.

Performances range from subliminal to the surreal as they present images through music, still photography, live action/animation, rear screen projection on stage, and handmade props interpreting their feelings and subject matter. 

Other messages are presented to shock the viewer and stir their imagination to get a message across. Even today, the feminist movement is still going strong and has grown international, with some of the performances taking place in Berlin (if anyone has ever been to Berlin, the Reeperbahn comes to mind) as well as Tehran, but some outspoken performances can lead to imprisonment or death in that country.

Footage features performance artists Judy Chicago, Carolee Schneeman, and the late Rachel Rosenthal. Rosenthal had a fascinating life: after her Russian-Jewish family fled Nazi-occupied France for Buenos Aires and later the U.S., she pivoted from ballet and acting to performance art. She moved to California, founded "Instant Theater" in 1955, emerged as a leading figure in the 1970s L.A. Women’s Art Movement, and co-founded a women's co-op art gallery in 1973.

Directed by Cheri Gaulke.

Written by Anne Gauldin.

Starring Lily Tomlin, Susan Lacy, Barbara T. Smith, Nick Lieberman, Cheri Gaulke, Cassis, Amelia Jones, etc. 

7/10 = WATCH IT FOR FREE