Susan Seidelman

 ( Living People ) 

In Smithereens, set in the early 1980s, the trope of the plucky heroine trying to make it in the music world is upended by teenaged Wren's goal to become famous despite having no applicable creative talents. Plastering fliers of her face around the city, Wren's a precursor of the "famous for being famous" personalities of the Internet age. Seidelman says that Wren's story "is about something broader: the fragmented nature of life in the 80's. It could have taken place in other settings."Insdorf, Annette. "'Smithereens' – The Story of a Cinderella Movie". The New York Times. December 26, 1982. Retrieved October 15, 2015.

Desperately Seeking Susan is a screwball comedy inspired by Jacques Rivette's Celine and Julie Go Boating, that explores identity-swapping among its two protagonists, Roberta and Susan. Instead of a conventional male/female role-swap, bored suburbanite Roberta trades personas with adventuresome Susan, and by doing so, recognizes her inner desires, both romantic and artistic.Simon, Alex and Keefe, Terry. "Gems of the 1980's: Susan Seidelman Remembers Desperately Seeking Susan". The Hollywood Interview, November 22, 2009. Retrieved October 14, 2015.

In Cookie, a mafia story, the primary focus is on the relationships between single mother, Lenore, her teenage daughter Cookie, and absentee crime-boss father, Dino, along with his wife, Bunny, reunited when he's released from prison. In Dino's absence, the women have learned to survive on their own and profane, independent Cookie supplies the solution to Dino's desire to go straight—resulting in a feminist family comic-drama within a gangster story. Female Filmmaker Friday: Cookie, 1989 (dir. Susan Seidelman) the diary of a film history fanatic, February 1, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.Canby, Vincent. Review/Film; "Father and Daughter, in and Against the Mob". The New York Times, August 23, 1989. Retrieved October 27, 2015

Based on true stories set in an insular Florida community, Boynton Beach Clubs romantic leads are all past retirement age. The members of a bereavement group experience classic romantic-comedy scenarios—awkward first dates, sexual insecurity, miscommunication and misunderstandings—after losing longtime partners. Seidelman had not seen older baby boomers dealing with loss, grief and romance in films and set out to create modern seniors without stereotyping.

Further genre mixing is evident in Making Mr Right, which combines sci-fi with romance among an android, his maker, and a successful career woman whose job is to teach the android about emotions. Gaudi Afternoon blends the detective mystery with family drama. The Hot Flashes is an against-all-odds sports film with middle-aged underdogs going up against youthful champions.

Roberta in Desperately Seeking Susan takes on Susan's mysterious and troublesome identity when she wears her clothes. Devoid of her usual suburban-housewife wardrobe and suffering from amnesia, Roberta embarks on an urban adventure by "trying on" the free-spirited persona of Susan. Susan, in search of Roberta, lives in her large house for 24 hours, trashing it, but appreciating the luxury and comfort therein.Wolf, Karina. "Black Sheep Club – Desperately Seeking Susan, 1985". Bright Wall/Dark Room, Issue 29 – Lenses, October, 2015. Retrieved October 21, 2015.

She-Devil is a revenge comedy/satire that pits homely abandoned wife Ruth against beautiful wealthy romance-novelist Mary. By taking revenge on her husband, Ruth finds power utilizing her skills as a formerly unpaid homemaker, and obtains success by employing other women in the same predicament. Mary, in contrast, saddled with Ruth's children, discovers how difficult maintaining a household can be – at odds with the tropes of romance-fiction. Female Filmmaker Friday: She-Devil, 1989 (dir. Susan Seidelman), the diary of a film history fanatic, February 28, 2015. Retrieved October 28, 2015.

Aspects of sexual identity and parenthood are explored in Gaudi Afternoon, set in Barcelona, Spain, where translator Cassandra, middle-aged, purposefully single, with no desire for children, finds herself enmeshed in a family squabble among a pansexual group of San Francisco transplants.

Fashion and reflective colors make downtown New York of the 80s a stylized East Village wonderland for Roberta in Desperately Seeking Susan. In contrast, her suburban home is presented in cool pastels and hard edges—an atmosphere where social mores and false fronts are more rigidly enforced. Performing as a magician's assistant, where costume and artifice is a requirement, she hones her survival skills that lead to personal satisfaction on and off the stage.

Smithereens explored the same colorful downtown scene, but with more grit and squalor, reflecting its low-budget independent production. Wren has more desire than creative skill, but like Giulietta Masina's character in Fellini's Nights of Cabiria, whom Seidelman notes as an inspiration, she's a survivor and her wish for recognition within the local punk-rock scene is presented without judgment.

A magic club is also a feature of Gaudí Afternoon where asexual Cassandra, through her attraction to openly bisexual Hamilton—an amateur magician—acknowledges her own sexual awareness. Antoni Gaudí's eccentric, sensual architecture is the scenic backdrop to Cassandra's deeper involvement with an alternative family and their young daughter, which ultimately brings about change in her personal life.

A diverse cast of dancers perform in Musical Chairs, where Armando and Mia's relationship develops within the world of competitive wheelchair ballroom dancing—a dance form popular in Europe and Asia, but mostly unknown in the U.S.Rodriguez, Rene. " Musical Chairs (PG-13)". The Miami Herald, March 22, 2012. Retrieved October 25, 2015. "'Musical Chairs' to Screen at The International Film Festival of Manhattan". Dot Dot Dot Magazine, November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2015 The dance troupe, outsiders in the world of feature-film, include a transgender woman and an Iraqi veteran, highlighting dance as a form of self-expression available to everyone. "Streaming Film: Musical Chairs". The Advocate, December 21, 2012. Retrieved November 1, 2015. Laverne Cox, who is transgender, has said that playing Chantelle, a disabled Black transgender woman, in a feature film was a career milestone.Cox, Laverne. "Why My New Film, Musical Chairs, is a Career Milestone for Me". The Huffington Post, March 27, 2012 (updated 5/27/12). Retrieved October 25, 2015.