Gerwig, the co-writer and star of 'Frances Ha' and 'Mistress America,' is making her directorial debut with the new film 'Lady Bird.' It's about a high school senior preparing for college and trying to assert her independence from her mother. Film critic Justin Chang reviews 'Darkest Hour.' 'Mudbound' follows two families — one black and one white — just before, during and after WWII. Director Dee Rees says her experiences growing up in Nashville, Tenn., in the 1980s informed her film.