So fed up with watching films with no decent female roles - please give me your recommendations

[whatsinanumber]

Watched yet another 'classic' film tonight in which the occasional (beautiful) woman flitted on screen either grieving for a man or being seduced by one, the rest was just a bunch of guys shooting at each other. I don't know what the actual percentage of the films I've watched in my life that have been like that but, thinking about it tonight, it feels absurdly high. I know this is much discussed but watching films with teenage DDs I'm just reminded how few films there seem to be with fully-formed girls and women in them who aren't just there to look hot. I started googling 'female empowering films' and got stuff like Superwoman and, while I don't have a problem with Superwoman, that's not really what I'm after - I don't especially need to be showing my daughters films in which the women kick ass and beat all the men in fights, or being heroes in some other capacity. They don't need to be all about women, I just want there to be nuanced girls and women on screen being part of what's going on, having conversations etc.

I'm sure they are out there, I'm just all out of ideas and would love to have a list on hand for when we are choosing films as a family. So if you have any favourite films with great female characters please share!

Going to bed shortly but pick this up again in the morning. Thanks in advance

Whoever said Studio Ghibli, that's a great call!

Might be worth looking at best actress Oscar winners, or the back catalogue of actresses who don't typically make male-gaze films, like Jodie Foster and Saoirse Ronan.

Off the top of my head (and not all age appropriate for a younger teen):

Thelma and Louise
The Woman King
Silence of the Lambs
Marie Antoinette (Sophia Coppola version)
Lost in Translation
Panic Room
Little Women (2019 Greta Gerwig version)
Mary Queen of Scots (2018)
The Beetlejuice films
The Favourite
Mean Girls
The Elizabeth films

TV, but the most recent True Detective and Mare of Easttown.

I'm surprised at so many people suggesting Thelma and Louise. Dreadful ending that tells women they can never win.

YES. Thelma and Louise is about women fucking up.

Has anyone said Alien yet?

For the day that's in it - Groundhog Day. Centred on a more than usually shitty man, but eventually he learns from the example of a good hardworking kind woman, and saves his own soul.

I ❤️ Groundhog Day.
Bit not sure of your interpretation. Surely he redeems himself once he gives up on chasing the woman?

Moana 😂

Women Talking.
Which I watched in a 'could never happen outside a remote religious community ' way.
How wrong could I be?
Fargo.

@OldCrone I always thought the ending was a homage to Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, with the freeze frame of them holding hands as they drive onwards.

The female writer said her intention was they end it on their terms. They know the justice system will be against them (they'll be jailed for murder, even though it was self-defence) and so they choose not to surrender. I wish the ending was different, but I think within the context of the film it makes sense.

Fwiw, Thelma (or is it Louise) transitions from being dopey to threatening to kill innocent people, via hot sex with B Pitt.
Not a great arc

or when he eventually buys life insurance from Ned Ryerson

it's a doozie!

No it's not. It's about women trying to live life on their terms, despite the best attempts of most of the men around them to fuck it up for them.

Probably already mentioned, haven't rtft but The end we start from was exceptional

Another random film I watched (very gory) had two women being the central leads and bad asses, ne being Hilary swank, The Hunt. (V v violent)

The best movie of all time in my opinion. ❤️

Omg yes

Ooh yeah

I agree though I think it's harder to think of films for 12 and 15 with strong leads.

Loads of great suggestions so far! I don't think anyone has mentioned Jackie Brown yet, so I'll throw that in.

or when he eventually buys life insurance from Ned Ryerson
Imo it's when he's in the diner, reading (French poetry?) and hears classical music on the radio.
I love that film so much.

No it's not. It's about women trying to live life on their terms, despite the best attempts of most of the men around them to fuck it up for them.
No they, or rather one of them, fuck it up by themselves.

The Company of Strangers is a wonderful film, made in Canada, an all-female cast most of whom were not professional actresses. Highly recommended.

Adrift-great survival film based on a true story of a woman adrift on the ocean for 41 days after a hurricane.

Also recommend Hidden Figures.

Mean Girls. Such a great film.

Some great ideas here. And timely - DS and I watched Tenet last night. Great movie but urgh, all the men doing men things and moving the plot forward with the woman as victim until she does what the men tell her at which point she saves the world. He pointed it out to me half way through - I will be sharing these ideas next time. We agreed that we want movies where the lead could be a man or a woman with no impact on the plot (I.e. not Little Women which although a great story is heavily gendered) but rather where there is a story and a script and they choose to cast a woman as the protagonist.

Rocks.

It's about a London teenage girl looking after her little brother, with her friends' help.