As the sun leaves fiery Aries and shifts into sultry, sensual Taurus on April 20, life moves a bit slower, asking you to relish in the little pleasures and beauty around you — but be careful, as it is also the season of overindulgence. Your movie watchlist for Taurus Season features films that engage the senses and movies that celebrate filmmakers born under the earthy sign.
The Watermelon Woman (1996)
In 1996, Taurus director Cheryl Dunye made history with her debut feature film, The Watermelon Woman, a landmark of New Queer Cinema. As a version of herself, Dunye plays a lesbian filmmaker in Philadelphia researching Fae Richards, a fictional actress known as “The Watermelon Woman.” In a mockumentary style with metanarratives on media and representation, Dunye explores Richards’ performances as the stereotypical “mammy” character in early Hollywood. As the first feature film directed by a Black lesbian, the film is a testament to underrepresented voices.
The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover (1989)
One thing Taurus is known for is hedonism, which is on full display in the indulgently titled 1989 film, The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover from Peter Greenaway. The story shows both extremes of a sensual Taurus: the tyrannical, greedy titular thief, Albert (Michael Gambon), who gorges himself on food and wine and abuses his wife, Georgina (Helen Mirren); and the soft, sweet Georgina who falls in love with an unsuspecting gynecologist. Georgina encapsulates the beauty of this Venusian zodiac sign. Watch closely, and you’ll notice her dresses (gorgeously designed by Jean-Paul Gaultier) change colors depending on the room she enters. It’s a film focused on aesthetics, art, food, and pleasure — a few Taurus trademarks.
Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
Speaking of sex, don’t slip through this steamy season without considering one of the most iconic erotic films, Eyes Wide Shut. One might think this would fit better for Scorpio Season movies, but as the opposite zodiac sign, Taurus Season attracts this same energy of longing, lust, curiosity, and desire. This sign is also known to indulge in vices (the sun shifts into Taurus on 4/20 for a reason). Just don’t let the pot get you aggressive, as Bill (Tom Cruise) warns Alice (Nicole Kidman). Let your freak flag fly, fall down the rabbit hole, and escape into Stanley Kubrick’s sinister, sexual underworld.
The Age of Innocence (1993)
As the fixed Earth sign of the zodiac, a sense of innocence and levelheadedness shrouds the season. On the opposite end of the sexual spectrum from Eyes Wide Shut, Martin Scorsese explores the forbidden sensuality of 1870s New York aristocrats in The Age of Innocence. Exploring the impossibility of an affair in this setting, Scorsese simultaneously infuses the main characters with a sense of practicality — largely thanks to its Taurus leads, Daniel Day-Lewis and Michelle Pfeiffer (both born on April 29!), whose palpable chemistry adds texture to the taboo tryst.
Melancholia (2011)
Certified freak (and Taurus) Lars von Trier goes all out with sex in Nymphomaniac: Vol. I and II. If you want more of that, dive into his 2013 romps. However, in Melancholia, von Trier teams up with one of the most tender Taurus actresses working today, Kirsten Dunst. Despite the world coming to an end, Justine (Dunst) is getting married in a massive castle in the Swedish countryside. Again, a film that may seem more suited for Scorpio Season — in fact, the film begins with an explanation of a star in the constellation Scorpius — Melancholia is a perfect representation of the darker side of Taurus. The inevitability and entanglement of life and death permeate throughout the season and the film.
Ratatouille (2007)
No natural pivot here from Lars von Trier to Ratatouille other than the one thing Taurus might love more than sex is food — their symbol, the bull, does have four compartments in its stomach! Not only does the Pixar film feature some of the most mouthwatering animation, but the story of the underdog (er, under-rat?) is a true testament to this determined, dependable zodiac sign known for following through whenever they’ve set their mind to something. With his impeccable taste, smell, and skills, Remy (Patton Oswalt) works his way from the sewers of the Seine to the fine dining scene of Paris.
Tampopo (1985)
Another food-centric film that shouldn’t go unnoticed this season: the “ramen Western” comedy, Tampopo. With a Taurus at the helm (director Jûzô Itami), Tampopo celebrates food with pizzazz. Its quirky style, playful tone, and nonlinear narrative are mixed into one big melting pot of Western whimsy and Japanese ramen culture. Tampopo enhances its main dish with sides of action-packed adventure, silly gags, and delicious cinematography.
A New Leaf (1971)
As spring blooms, this time of year feels fertile, full of life, and like an invitation to stop and smell the flowers. The enigmatic Taurus Elaine May has endless fun in her hilariously raucous directorial debut, A New Leaf. When a broke socialite aims to marry an awkward botanist, their love affair turns into an off-the-rails black comedy. May’s acting, writing, and directing chops shine as the film flourishes from her signature lighthearted comedic prowess.
Meshes of the Afternoon (1943)
If you’re too busy enjoying the nice weather this Taurus Season, how about a short film? In 1943, Maya Deren, born under the sign of the bull, made an experimental short film not even fifteen minutes long. Eight decades later, Meshes of the Afternoon ranks amongst some of the most celebrated feature-length films of all time. Despite clocking in at only fourteen minutes, it features some of the most striking imagery seen in cinema. Recently ranked within the top twenty Greatest Films of All Time by Sight and Sound, this silent short is a hypnotic, subversive, enigmatic look into the human psyche.
High Life (2018)
To round out your Taurus Season watchlist, we have a film not only directed by yet another Taurus female filmmaker, the legendary Claire Denis, but its star is also one of the sign’s most notorious actors, Robert Pattinson. Embracing all the weird, intriguing quirks that make this sign so easy to love, Pattinson brings a singular charm to his performances that you can never quite put your finger on or name out loud. In High Life, this dynamic duo delivers an ambiguous cinematic organism — living, breathing, and dying before your eyes — waiting to be discovered as it slowly blooms.
List and Cover Art Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer