Films which just fill you with feminist happiness

[legoplayingmumsunite]

To counterbalance the 'films which just annoy you', and to give GarlicReverses some good recommendations. Since she asked for action movies and political intrigue here are my starters:

Nothing But the Truth
The Hunger Games
FoxFire
Lore

And Monsters v Aliens. Ginormica ditches her crap fiancé and she rocks too.

Morvern Callar.

Blow Up just kidding.

"Thelma and Louise isn't really feminist as the main characters after running off die in the end, the ultimate punishment."

That makes it more of a feminist film imo.

My Brilliant Career and the one with Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, 84 Charing Cross Road. I love that movie.

I haven't seen Thelma and Louise in years, I was a teen. I remember being so upset after all they went through they died, it was so unfair. I hate all the men in the movie too, they were so backwards. I also didn't and still don't see the attraction of Brad Pitt.

Imagine how we'd all feel if this film was reserved....

Private Benjamin. For the ending, mostly.

Lola Rennt (Run Lola Run) - possibly my favourite film of all time. Incidentally it's often used to show the limitations of the Bechdel test as the protagonist (Lola) never has a proper conversation with another woman despite being generally considered one of the strongest and most three-dimensional female leads.

I love Brave from a feminist point of view as well, but I did feel that the story was a bit thin - not going to complain about a feminist Disney film though! I was cheering so hard when she did the competing for her own hand part

YY for Private Benjamin smallclanger - how could I have forgotten. I have said 'You're such a schmuck, Henri' to a lot of people in my head.

Bend It Like Beckham - one of the reasons I love this is because ALL of the characters, whether they "get" the feminist message or not, are dealt with sympathetically (and comically) and they all make progress towards getting the message by the end of the film. Also, I like the fact that the two main characters want the same boy but, ultimately, their friendship is strong enough to come through this - and it's their friendship and their ambitions which take centre stage at the end rather than the resolution of the boy/girl storyline.

With 'The River Wild' though - the last lines piss me off! The man is still the hero:

Policeman: What happened?
Kid: My mom got us down the river.
Policeman: How about your dad? What did he do?
Kid: My dad? He saved our lives.

Pah.

Tank girl

Beau travail, because it's a film about men, directed by a woman, which approaches its subjects with openness and curiosity, not an objectifying gaze. So it doesn't 'reverse' the male gaze but completely does away with the idea of objectification.

Winter's Bone. Because Ree's gender is practically incidental, but she remains a strong, realistic figure. Also shows up the limitations of the Bechdel.

Almost anything by Agnes Varda, but especially Sans toit ni loi, Cleo de 5 a 7 and Les Plages d'Agnes. All great films about looking and being looked at, and how gender affects these processes.

In the time of the butterflies
GI Jane
Charlotte Gray
Carve her name with pride
Eat pray love
Erin Brockinovich
The East
Saviour
The Beach

Whale Rider
Once Were Warriors (not exactly light entertainment, but great female characters)

Hm Gravity.. great film but - had to have the backstory about personal tragedy which went to explain why she was able to be up there.... or maybe just me reading too much into it!

I suppose they did explain about George Clooney's back story too, but I did feel like Sandra Bullock's character had to have an "excuse" why she'd be plausibly up there in space... if it wasn't for her daughter dying she'd be at home looking after her like a real mother should, if that makes sense.

Also panic room,and long kiss goodnight.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café!

Cowabunga!

Forgot about Bend it Like Bekham, I loved that

Kill Bill does it for me...bloody marvellous!

Volver

Hobsons Choice - in b&w directed by David Lean.

Maggie takes her life into her own hands, marries Will, teaches her Dad a lesson, sets up a successful business, flips off her sisters, then takes over the family empire. And its a comedy.

Is it called The Bicycle - first full length film to be shot in Saudi Arabia, and directed by and starring females.

Nine to Five

Self Catering. TV movie from 1994. Laughs in the face of the Bechdel test. Women outnumber men 3:2

Marking place. Hope to find some of these on Netflix later...