For the longest time, Hollywood has delivered some of the coolest heroes. But it seemed like the heroines were only ever depicted as damsels in distress. We’d be lucky to see a character with more than one dimension beyond their romantic interests. However, the cinematic landscape has tried changing things several times. And won. We have a wide crop of films that give us female characters that feel truly real and relatable.
These movies have satisfied an audience that craves watching themselves reflected upon the big screen. We are no longer confined to a handful of repetitive, tired stereotypes. Instead, these movies show a full spectrum of strength, weakness, humor, and menace that women can embody, all thanks to writers and directors who are willing to take bold creative skills and make characters richer than ever seen before.
While the ripple effects are being felt strongly, this new visibility is still growing, and we have a long way to go before the light reaches further. In the meantime, let’s take a look at movies that change expectations of women on film.
20 The Favourite
A period dramedy that brings together Olivia Colman, Rachel Weisz, and Emma Stone, The Favourite is set in 18th century England where a frail and aging Queen Anne is ruling the country. When her health does not allow her to oversee the matters of the throne, her close friend, Sarah Churchill, governs the country. However, a young and ambitious Abigail soon enters the picture. And that’s when things begin to change.
What appears to be a new servant learning the ropes soon turns into a vicious game of survival as each woman fights for their positions and yearns to be more influential. By placing three women in a game of politics and making them all deft players, Yorgos Lanthimos creates a fantastic narrative and a richly dark comedy.
19 Lady Bird
Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson may seem like your usual coming-of-age protagonist. As an artistic teenage girl longing for a life of sophistication after getting into a prestigious college, all she wants right now is to leave her hometown, Sacramento. Directed by Greta Gerwig, the movie follows Lady Bird as she staves for something greater while navigating high school friendships, old and new loves, and dealing with the damaged relationship with her mother, who is a highly opinionated woman herself.
Anchored by a powerful performance from Saoirse Ronan, Lady Bird delivers a protagonist that is headstrong but vulnerable, one that represents countless young women.
18 Kill Bill
Split into two volumes that made it to the big screen in consecutive years and led by Uma Thurman’s magnetic performance as The Bride, Kill Bill centers around a protagonist who was shot by her former lover and left for dead.
After being in a coma for four years, Beatrix Kiddo seeks vengeance against the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad and all those associated with it. Like a trailblazer, she tracks down each member of the team and kills them one by one. These are men who have wronged her, and she shows absolutely no mercy while using her extraordinary skill set. Quentin Tarantino transforms the character into a new archetype by making her beautiful and brutal.
17 Promising Young Woman
Emerald Fennell is one of the best women directors working today thanks to this single great film. Through Promising Young Woman, she skewers the societal image of women and graces us with a nuanced story. Cassie is a 30-year-old medical school dropout who works at a coffee shop. She was extremely talented, but her life took a dark turn after her best friend, Nina Fisher, took her own life.
Now, Cassie lives an unconventional existence, visiting clubs and bars to bait misogynistic men and teach them a lesson. But her greatest aim in life is to seek revenge. Carey Mulligan is captivating as Cassie, who may seem fragile on the outside but is actually cunning and furious.
16 Cleo From 5 to 7
Directed by Agnès Varda, Cléo From 5 to 7 is a fascinating French New Wave drama film that challenges the male gaze with its multidimensional female character. The movie revolves around an aspiring singer named Cleo, who has two hours before she receives the medical reports determining whether she is terminally ill.
But instead of spending the time being anxious, she decides to go out and explore the city in its stillness and bustle. Documenting her fears in real time, Cleo floats between several encounters. She meets friends and lovers, but the man who piques her interest the most is a soldier.
15 When Harry Met Sally
The classic rom-com tries to answer the age-old question: can a man and a woman just be friends? Pioneering a whole new wave of groundbreaking stories after its release in 1989, When Harry Met Sally… follows the evolving relationship of Harry and Sally, who accidentally meet after graduating from college. Their harmless friendship turns into something more when they bump into each other five years later.
Along the way, the movie muses intelligently about sex, relationships, and culture. It cracks open discussions about gender roles and intimacy. And let’s not deny the fact that Meg Ryan plays Sally with both emotion and wit.
14 I, Tonya
Based on the true story of acclaimed and then criticized figure skater, Tonya Harding, the 2017 movie starring Margot Robbie breaks the mold of stereotypical women in cinema. Harding was an audacious working-class athlete who wanted to “make it” at all costs. Her competitive personality drove her towards fame. But when her ex-husband entered the picture to ruin everything, her professional career was put on the line.
I, Tonya chronicles the events that shaped Harding into a portrait of ferocity and resilience. Shot in a hybrid mockumentary style featuring her days growing up and the tabloid news that tore her apart, the film shows a complicated antihero who refused to bend down in front of a prejudiced system.
13 Before Sunrise
Hailed as a series of films that portray love realistically, Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy gave us a fine couple in the form of Ethan Hawke’s Jesse and Julie Delpy’s Celine. They meet first in Before Sunrise with a chance encounter on a train. The charming, American Jesse convinces Celine to impulsively get down in Vienna and spend a day wandering the streets and admiring its beauty.
Eventually, they indulge in conversations about connection and intellect. Both Hawke and Delpy are incredible as two sensitive souls who bring out the best in each other. But it is Delpy’s poetic dialogue and gentle musings that lead us to believe there is more to intimacy than love alone.
12 Portrait of a Lady on Fire
A French romantic drama set on the isolated islands of 18th century Brittany, Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a story about two besotted lovers. Marianne is an exceptionally skilled painter, commissioned to do the wedding portrait of young nobleman Héloïse, who has just left convent and isn’t willing to marry.
Without ever speaking too much, the women co-exist in a world that does not understand empathy and trust. Marianne observes and captures her subject every day, and eventually they begin to understand one another. Their forbidden love blooms under the weight of society but the visuals and the strength of these women is so evident that you can’t help but root for them.
11 The Handmaiden
Directed by Park Chan-wook, The Handmaiden is a psychological thriller set in the 1930s, when Korea was under Japanese colonial rule. With vast impositions put on the residents of the country, one couldn’t even imagine a place to find safety, let alone love. Amidst the turmoil, a wealthy Japanese heiress hires a pickpocket as a handmaiden.
But she’s unaware that someone this close to her is secretly working with a con man who wants to swindle her out of her fortune. As the handmaiden gets closer to the heiress, her loyalties shift because she finds herself deeply attracted towards her. Being an erotic thriller, the tale dives into the complex minds of its female characters.
10 Atonement
On a sweltering summer day in 1935 England, 13-year-old Briony becomes an unassuming witness to a life-altering moment. She watches her older sister Cecilia and Robbie, their family housekeeper’s son, together in the library. Briony is an aspiring writer with an overactive imagination, always seeking danger and drama. Unaware of the devastating consequences her lie would lead to, Briony slanders the young man and draws herself into a corner from which she cannot escape.
Atonement is a stunning period drama based on Ian McEwan’s best-selling novel. Both Kiera Knightley and Saoirse Ronan wear their roles beautifully, one bearing her underserved fate with quiet dignity and other feeling crushed under the weight of her own actions.
9 20th Century Women
A coming-of-age dramedy like no other, the wonderful 20th Century Women follows Dorothea Fields, a middle-aged single mother determined to teach a group of free-thinking women about living their lives and finding purpose. At the center of her non-traditional household is her 15-year-old son Jaime, who is being raised by incredible women.
There’s Abbie, a punk artist and aspiring photographer who is receiving treatment from cervical cancer, and Julie, a friendly neighbor and Jaime’s best friend. Annette Bening plays Dorothea in the most fascinating ways. She is progressive in her parenting, teaching Jaime about feminism and nurturing his own identity with compassion.
8 Heathers
Going back in time to the iconic ’80s and with Winona Ryder as the leading lady, Heathers is a perfect satire of high school hierarchy with a splash of blood. Veronica Sawyers wants to raise her social ranking, so she joins the school’s most popular clique by befriending its leader, Heather Chandler. But their mean girl antics are met with darkness when Veronica’s new boyfriend J.D. poisons Heather and makes it look like suicide.
Soon, he begins to lure all the authoritative girls he’s sick of into risky dares, eventually killing them. Veronica refuses to watch; her intelligence and morality clashes with her feelings several times. Even though the film was criticized for being exaggerated, its protagonist manages to rewrite the status quo nonetheless as the film gains more acclaim over time.
7 Carol
Staying away from typical romances, Carol transports us to the dim, neon-lit streets of 1950s New York. Based on The Price of Salt, a novel written by Patricia Highsmith, the movie familiarizes us with Therese Belivet, a young shop girl who spends her day dressing window mannequins while dreaming of becoming a successful photographer.
One day, she catches the enchanting gaze of a woman named Carol, who is going through a bitter divorce itself. As the two women get to know each other, they are thrust into a love affair filled with intimacy and emotional desires. Under Todd Haynes’ gorgeous direction, the movie steers towards graceful and aching moments of female passion.
6 Hidden Figures
We live in an era where women are encouraged to take on any role they wish. But going back decades, the 1970s and 1980s were a pivotal time for female participation in STEM. Hidden Figures, however, is set in 1961, and it is an incredible true story of three brilliant African-American women named Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan.
These women did not just deal with the racial discrimination and conformity posed by their genders, but also were a crucial asset behind one of the greatest space operations in history: the launch of astronaut John Glenn into orbit. Portrayed by Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, and Janelle Monáe, the movie redefines the role of women and how they overcame the barriers put by society.
5 Princess Mononoke
Hayao Miyazaki has a vast database of strong-willed and fearless female heroines, so it would be a shame not to mention one of his epic creations. Princess Mononoke is a Japanese animated fairy tale that tells the story of young Ashitaka, a prince infected by a demonic curse that slowly transforms him into a beast.
On his journey to find a cure, he meets a young warrior named Princess Mononoke, who wants nothing more than to maintain the peace between her family and the environment, so she fights passionately to preserve the dark forests from human invaders. Mononoke is an incredible heroine. She is fierce and tender, and her determination rises tall in this stunning masterpiece about industrialization.
4 Black Swan
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For years, Nina has wanted to play the highly praised role of the Black Swan in Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake. But when she finally lands in, her insecurities creep into her psyche, driving her crazy and making her feel devastated. She questions herself, wondering whether she’s right for the part in freakish ways.
Soon, the lines between reality and dreams become dangerously blurred. Black Swan is Natalie Portman’s career-defining work, where she guts herself emotionally and physically in an almost method style to immerse herself in the hauntingly beautiful role of Nina. Moreover, the film’s core message is about the pressures of being perfect in an industry that only ever sees women as props.
3 (500) Days of Summer
In movies, we’ve seen women plan their perfect wedding since they were children, and women who fight the bad guys without blinking an eye. But seldom do we see women who do not believe that true love exists. Directed by Marc Webb, (500) Days of Summer is the story of Tom, who recalls his relationship with Summer, a cynical woman who stays as far away from boyfriends or relationships as she can, to make sense of why their love affair fell apart.
Zooey Deschanel plays Summer with an endearing charm and realness. She’s not your usual “manic pixie dream girl,” but a realist, and of course, feminist who refuses to let romantic ideals define her. Told in a non-linear fashion, the movie adds a refreshing candor to the wide existence of romantic comedies.
2 Moana
Disney’s Moana is a fantastic animated adventure that serves us a wonderful female protagonist. In a Polynesian village lives an adventurous young girl named Moana who yearns to explore the vast lands beyond her little island’s reef. When a strange type of wrath begins to destroy the plants and the fish on her homeland, she is determined to find the cause.
After Moana convinces the village’s chief to let her go on this daring quest, she is joined by Maui, a demigod who guides her across. The character of Moana is voiced by newcomer Auliʻi Cravalho, who brings an addictive optimism and bravery to her rebellious nature. The movie offers a positive but overlooked role model in the form of Disney’s first Polynesian princess.
1 Gone Girl
The queen of all, Amy Dunne, is undoubtedly the most flawless and unflinching portrayal of how far women can go with wiles and manipulation. In Gone Girl, Amy and Nick have the perfect marriage. Until one day, when Nick returns home to find that his wife is missing. When the police show up, he becomes the prime suspect in her disappearance.
Ben Affleck may be amazing as a man grappling with accusations, but the real protagonist is Rosamund Pike. In all the events that lead to that shocking revelation, Pike’s character evolves from a normal suburban wife to a chilling, dangerous, and deeply troubled human. Adapted from Gillian Flynn’s psycho-thriller, David Fincher’s film leads us through various twists and turns, and keeps us hooked until the very end.
This story originally appeared on Movieweb
