Films or TV shows with strong female characters - recommendations for a 13 year old girl

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Hi,
My 13 year old daughter is just staring to develop a feminist consciousness and is wanting to watch stuff with strong female leads. She doesn’t like reading, so my book recommendations fall on deaf ears. She has recently enjoyed the Hunger Games films and (though she is loathe to admit it) the CBBC Mallory Towers adaptation.
Can anyone recommend anything she might like to watch please?
Thanks.

Wild' is a great film about a woman who goes on a long trek on a trail in America by herself. It's based on a true story and the book it's based on makes a good read as well. Stars Reese Witherspoon. You feel those blisters as she gets further into it, but she won't give up

Great choice.

Persepolis - fab animated film about a girl growing up in Iran.

Also Hidden Figures - film about Katherine Johnson and the other black mathematicians who did the calculations for NASA and the space launch.

I'd also recommend Orange is the New Black for both feminism and social justice more generally. (not sure the age restriction on it).

also, I haven't seen it, but my mother really liked The Help. It's supposed to be good, about black housemaids during the civil rights movement in America. Nominated for 4 Oscars.

My DD's heroines have included

Xena: Warrior Princess - The first three or four seasons.
Samantha Carter from the Stargate series.
Buffy.
And Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica.

And I would second Firely! (From the creator of Buffy)

Strong Female 2nd in Command, the engineer is a woman (my DD wanted to BE Kaylee).

The only caveat I would raise for a 13 yr old is that one of the female characters (Inara Serra) is a 'companion'. A self-employed courtesan. The captain (who deeply loves her) calls her job 'whoring' but it's more than that. She is a very sexually alluring woman who is utterly in control of who and when and under what circumstances she takes clients. There is nothing overtly sexual on screen - the only nude scene I can remember has our hero captain happily naked in the middle of a desert - but it might raise a few questions.

I've seen Dollhouse recommended I would leave that for a bit later my DD (15) is enjoying it at the moment but it is violent.

Dark Angel was not created by Joss Whedon.

"And Kara Thrace from Battlestar Galactica"

Yep. All of BSG generally. But especially Starbuck

Yep. All of BSG generally. But especially Starbuck

So say we all.

Ahh, Starbuck 😁

Hilda - Netflix
She-Ra - Netflix
Carmen San Diego - Netflix
All cartoons but all really really good and with awesome female leads.

There's also:
Hanna - Prime
Which features a badass Female lead.

Battlestar Galatica is possibly the best TV series ever but it's a bit violent and sexual for a 13 year old.

Does she like science? I was thinking of Contact with Jodie Foster.I think it has some not really needed romantic thread, but is mainly about Jodie Foster as a woman amongst space geeks, who wont listen to her, when she really knows what is going on! From this US parenting web site it says it is rated PG parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/contact

Also Little Miss Sunshine about an unlikely entrant in a young girls beauty pagent (which none of them really know what it entails) and how her family helps her get there (some of the family stuff maybe a bit adult). I thinks its a bit "indy" so may not be right for a 13 year old. UK certificate is 15.

Both old but get reshown occassionally.

Made in Dagenham on I player. Just watched it with my 10 and 12 year old. Uses the f word and there is a sex scene at the beginning (bonk in car, no nudity), and a death by suicide. Bloody brilliant women, my god they were trailblazers!
Love the answer to the question from journalist 'how will you cope?'

Freaky Friday (both versions)

Candleshoe, with a young Jodie Foster.

Kind of prompted by this thread I just showed my 17 year old DD my favourite 1980s Italian barbarian film (no, seriously, trust me) Hundra.
It has the most awesomely awesome heroine. A sword-wielding warrior woman who make Xena look like a wuss. It's a vastly underacted piece of exploitation crap with a really strong feminist slant. Maybe not for a 13 year old but in a couple of years... My DD was delighted with it.

Better pic because I messed up that last one.

Do not let her watch sabrina. They take the gender non confirming lesbian and trans her.

Buffy is good
Hidden figures
The shallows
Soul surfer
Maybe x files depending on maturity.
Aliens

I came on to post something totally different and then seeing grapic above wondered about Zena Warrior Princess!

What i came to say is I think Little Miss Sunshine may not be suitable, unless daughter has a bit of awareness of the world as there are some pervy men in it. She doesn't need to know about them yet does she?

relic hunter
lara croft

So glad someone suggested The Mentalist, I love that show. Possibly slightly gory/creepy at 13 though. I would also suggest Grey's Anatomy, the female doctors are all pretty headstrong.

Sabrina
Self made
Wonder Woman

All on Netflix

Probably too boring for her at this age, but I liked the recent Effie Gray – which as it happens is on again today, 23:15 BBC2.

It's about John Ruskin's wife, but is unusual for anything about this period, particularly a film about an artist's muse, because it's not shown through the male gaze.

It stood out enough that I checked who wrote it. Yep, sure enough, Emma Thompson.

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b06km7fb

And yes, definitely Buffy!

Haven't read the full thread so don't know if it's been mentioned, but Diary of a Future President is great! Perfect for a 13 year old.

Forgot to say, it's on Disney +