It’s International Women’s Day and it’s Women’s History Month. There are some fabulously amazing female-led movies that I wanted to highlight! These are only a few and I implore anyone reading this to let me know what are some of your favorite female-led movies!
Girl, Interrupted
Ever since I watched Girl, Interrupted – I was hooked. This pseudo-coming-of-age film stars Wynona Ryder, Angelina Jolie, and Brittany Murphy. Taking place in the 1960s, Ryder’s character is sent to an insane asylum after experiencing a nervous breakdown. It’s the 60s and we all know that patients weren’t properly treated in mental institutions and women were frequently diagnosed with “hysteria”. While Ryder is great, it’s Jolie who steals the show. Still one of my favorite Jolie movies to this day, Girl, Interrupted is a must-watch.
Hidden Figures
Women have often worked in the shadows, only for their male counterparts to get all of the credit. Hidden Figures looked to bring these women out of the dark and shed light on their accomplishments. Starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae, this film centers around the black women mathematicians who worked with NASA during the space race. This uplifting, feel-good film finally told the world who they really needed to thank for NASA’s accomplishments and it definitely is a testament to what women can do.
Mad Max: Fury Road
Mad Max: Fury Road may be named after Max, but Mad Max: Fury was all about the women. Not only was a feminist call to action, it starred Charlize Theron as Furiosa. This badass woman not only could hold her own, but she made it her mission to free all of the women who were held as sex slaves by Immortan Joe. While Furiosa was an equal to Max during the epic fight/car chase scenes, the wives were not helpless. After being held captive for so long, they too fought back. Their proclamation “We are not things” rings truer than ever in this fantastic female-led film.
Bridesmaids
I had to throw in this insanely funny comedy in here. With an ensemble cast of hilarious actresses, Bridesmaids was a movie I think every woman can relate to. Centering around Kristen Wiig’s character as she deals with the realization that her best friend (Maya Rudolph) is not only getting married, but has another close gal-pal, causes some heartfelt and hilarious scenes. Seeing Wiig’s character try to contend with her best friend’s rich new friends was completely relatable. I think anyone can also relate to Wiig trying to hold on to what she had with her friend and nervous that Maya getting married would change everything. It’s always a stereotype that women can’t be funny and if you think that way, then you need to watch Bridesmaids – especially that food poisoning scene.
Black Swan
This psychological thriller was all the talk when it first came out. Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis star as two ballerinas competing for the much sought-after Black Swan role. This movie can be seen as a thriller and as a metaphor for artistic perfection. However you see it, it was a powerful and jaw-dropping film with Portman giving one of the best performances of her lifetime.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
Both of them. Both the Swedish version with Noomi Rapace and the American version with Rooney Mara. These films follow the story of antisocial loner Lisbeth Salander as she assists journalist Mikael Blomkvist in getting to the bottom of a huge mystery. The story of Lisbeth Salander came from novelist Stieg Larsson after Larsson witnessed a horrible crime committed against a woman and did nothing about it. This guilt is translated on page on-screen when Lisbeth gets revenge against her rapists in the most satisfying of ways.
I know that I only scratched the surface here and there are so many other great female-led movies out there. That is why I want you to let me know what films you love that feature some amazing ladies.
A girl with too many fandoms to count.
