She Must Be Seeing Things 1987

The film centers on the relationship between filmmaker Jo, Lois Weaver and her girlfriend, lawyer Agatha, Sheila Dabney. As they navigate daily life, the story observes how their creative partnership and romantic bond intertwine, revealing a quiet, observational portrayal of trust, desire, and the pressure of making art together.

While tidying the books and papers in Jo’s flat, Agatha uncovers a cluster of suggestive photos that pair Jo with former male lovers. A diary filled with more photographs and entries about men Jo has known in the past deepens Agatha’s unease, provoking questions about fidelity and truth. This discovery drives Agatha to become increasingly suspicious, even leading her to follow Jo at times, though the film keeps the line between reality and perception deliberately fuzzy. The tension is treated with restraint, allowing room for uncertainty about whether Agatha is imagining things or if there are actual, verifiable events behind her concerns.

Amid these personal strains, Jo’s low-budget film project presses on, demanding long shoots and tight schedules. The couple’s relationship is tested by the creative process itself, yet the film suggests a possibility of reconciliation: by the end, they appear to find a way back to each other, though the narrative leaves open the question of whether Agatha’s perceptions were real or simply products of stress and suspicion.

Jo’s film-within-a-film centers on the life of Catalina de Erauso (c. 1592–1650), a semi-legendary figure from 17th-century Spain. Catalina was granted a special dispensation by Pope Urban VII to live, work, and dress as a man, a premise the movie uses to explore ideas of gender, performance, and self-definition. This historical thread provides a reflective backdrop to the main story, inviting viewers to consider how identity and presentation interact with intimate relationships.

The Catalina narrative resonates with Jo and Agatha’s own dynamic, offering a mirrored exploration of power, desire, and partnership. The film’s gentle, meditative approach emphasizes mood and implication, inviting audiences to draw connections between past and present without forcing a single interpretation. By weaving together the intimate present with a daring historical tale, the movie crafts a portrait of two people negotiating closeness, trust, and the boundaries of their own stories, all while leaving room for doubt and interpretation at the close.