It’s Women’s History Month and what better way to celebrate than to appreciate empowering films made about and for women? Here is a short list of feminist movies that deserve to be watched and appreciated.
1. Hidden Figures
Hidden Figures tells the true story of three Black women at NASA, Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan, and Mary Jackson, who are brilliant mathematicians that serve a vital role in the early years of the NASA space program. This is an inspiring watch, as you get to watch these women push back against misogyny and ultimately change the trajectory of the space race.
2. A League of Their Own
For my sports fans, A League of Their Own is about the first professional women baseball league, which kept the sport alive during the World War II era. This is an earnest, fun film that celebrates the often overlooked and pioneering athletes.
3. Real Women Have Curves
Real Women Have Curves is another great coming-of-age film that I like to call “the original Lady Bird”, as they both have very similar plots. This story is about a first-generation Mexican-American girl, as she navigates a complicated relationship with her mother and her personal aspiration of going to college.
4. Legally Blonde
If you’re someone that enjoys a good “chick-flick”, Legally Blonde is a classic. While the movie is fun and comical, watching Elle Woods succeed, despite her sexist peers underestimating her, all while proudly embracing her femininity is nothing short of inspiring. (This is great to watch when feeling demotivated over schoolwork).
5. Alien
The iconic sci-fi horror film, Alien, created the first “final girl” with Ellen Ripley, who while feminine, is able to outsmart an alien creature picking off the male members of her space craft crew members. The rest of the franchise continues to honor their “final girl” feature, with all the movies focused on different, but equally strong women characters.
6. The Princess and The Frog
Even though this is a Disney princess movie, the entire movie breathes feminism. This movie is about Tiana, a young girl in the 1920s working her hardest to open her own restaurant. There’s definitely a lot of the traditional Disney elements: people turning into frogs, singing fireflies, and trumpet-playing alligators, but what makes this story feminist is the focus on Tiana and her strive to achieve her dreams (She gets a prince too, but it’s only a bonus).
7. Set it Off
Set It Off follows a friend group of four, all women who are victims of intersectional violence in their daily lives. The group end up caring out a string of bank robberies to rebel against a system that does not serve them. This movie is an iconic image of Black survival.
8. Roma
Roma tells the story of Cleo, a nanny, and Sofia, her employer. Sofia discovers her husband’s affair and Cleo discovers she is pregnant, which leads to Sofia’s kids and Cleo going for getaway in attempts to bond the family. Roma shows two women from two different social standings and their ability to survive and support each other as they face the many life struggles thrown at them.
Now, there are definitely much more amazing feminist movies out there outside of this list, but these are just a couple of good movies you can start with. So next time you have a movie night, maybe consider watching one of these great films!
