Please recommend me some pro-feminism films- I am fed up!

[Aworryingtrend]

The last few films I have watched have either had very few female characters, or the ones they have had have either been 2-dimensional characters as a prop for the main lead characters, or simply as a sex object love interest.

It's really getting me down now, and Idon't think I am being paranoid as DH also remarked upon the lack of strong female characters.

Recently I have seen

• New Years Eve- anti-feminist on sooo many lvels
• The Accidental Husband- turned it off after 20 minutes
• Horrible Bosses- didn't even attempt to hide its 'women as sex objects' plot, use of lots of anti-women swearing and insults
• Teeth- NOT my choice to watch this, saw it at a friends house and was

The only half-decent film I have seen recently with a strong female character is 'La Potiche', a French comedy.

Does anyone have any recommendations for pro-Feminism films?

I should add, the Bechdel test is not a measure of feminism/feminist message in the film itself - it's not really supposed to be. But it is a measure of whether the women are actually PEOPLE in the film, or accessories to the Real Human People, y'know, the male characters.

So, for example, Sex and the City would pass the Bechdel test (all that talk about shoes!) but isn't necessarily a feminist film. (not trying to make a specific point about SATC, rather about the nature of the test.)

Persepolis

oh I love The Hours too dunrovin

Julianne Moore's character

I do like Mystic Pizza but it is a bit 'getting the man is a happy ending' - not v feministy

A children's film I think is good is the Wolves of Willoughby Chase- Bonnie is a great character.

The Tina Turner biopic- What's love got to do with it?

Steel Magnolias is quite soppy but is good on women's relationships with others.

A League of their own, another one- Gina Davis does tend to pick good scripts, I think she does identify as a feminist.

The Colour Purple was written as a feminist book turned film, but I was disappointed by the 'he wasnt that bad after all' ending.

Wildcats, with Goldie Hawn as a high school football coach is forgotten but worth finding- they try to take her kids off her for having a job!

Girl, interrupted is good for showing how normal teenage girls used to be locked up for behaviour that was acceptable for boys- same with the Maddalene Sisters- but that is quite harrowing and not an easy watch- they only closed in 1996!

I think Gosford Park is good- Kelly McDonald has the brains to solve the mystery and it shows how oppressed the Helen Mirren and Emily Watson characters were.

Cleopatra? I only saw this for the first time recently and I was surprised I liked it so much- it is long (4hrs) but worth sacrificing a day on the counch for. National Velvet is another good Liz Taylor film.

North Country with Charlize Theron is quite boring but it tells the story of how sexual harassment at work became illegal in the USA- shockingly recently.

Bend it like Beckham id good for younger audiences.

i wonder if feminist academics here would agree but I really liked "In the Valley of Elah"

what about 'sliding doors'?

I don't know if 4.3.2.1. counts as feminist, as it was written by a man (Noel Clarke) - I found a lot of it very uncomfortable viewing, as the 4 women in it are treated absolutely horrendously by the men around them, but then it's very (depressingly) realistic in that respect. And in the end I enjoyed it, it's very good about the friendships between the women as well as being fast-moving and having a happy(ish) ending - that doesn't involve a man!

The only problem with Sliding Doors is that the doors don't trap John Hannah's head and kill him painfully. Let's see how gud with fud he is after that.

mousy- the fiesty one dies in the end- sending a v unfeministy-message imo

Oh god that's HIM Bof! I couldn't just place that voice

Oh, but you MUST see Away We Go. It not only passes the Bechdel test, it's warm and funny and moving, and has the most hilarious character in it played by Maggie Gyllenhall who would definitely inspire a thread or two on here if she were real. It should be compulsory viewing for MNers

My dh thinks that Alien and Dawn of the Dead (new version) to be movies with great, strong female leads.

I adore the Gilmore Girls which is a TV series but witty and uplifting.

Watch the trailers on that IMDB limo, and see if it appeals.

Link, not limo

If you have a younger DD, I loved "Fly Away Home" - strong girl as lead role in the film, gorgeous photography.

I dunno if you all think it's twee, and it's not feminist but woman-friendly IMO - How to Make An American Quilt?

I liked "How to Make..." a lot LRD, not 'twee' at all...

If it is twee i'd probably love it

Little Women should be on this list too.

Dancer in the dark Lars Von Trier film with Bjork and Catherine Deneuve.

Amazing, but only if you're in the mood for something devestating thought provoking and a bit dark.

bemy - yay!

Oh and Lilja 4 Eva, in that vein Jeremy very hard to watch but very important, from memory about a young runaway who ends up being trafficked into the sex trade, shocking horrible stuff.

I'm thinking that if we're after an upbeat feminist film then it would have to be fantasy or sci-fi. Because the world as it is has been pretty shitty for us hasn't it.

Link to another thread about feminist films.

Just watched Water for Elephants which failed spectacularly. Practical Magic is fun but a bit mushy. Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day is brill. Beyond the sparkliness of the film it is pretty deep and shows just how women were made to rely on men for their fortunes. The relationship between Frances Mcdormand's character and the lead is especially good.

Oh talking about Frances M her table scene with Diane Jesting in Somethings gotta Give is worth watching film for.