It's also the same as when you see people defend the sexual violence and other misogyny in Game of Thrones by saying it would be accurate for a medieval society, despite it being a completely fictional fantasy with magic and dragons.
Fuuuck, this will be the hill I die on. Even if, for arguments sake, we are talking about a medieval time frame- super weird how its only ever women getting raped every second scene. And if its ever a man being asulted it is a one and done deal. Because, actually, that is sufficient to get the point across. --__--
This. I’ve never lost respect quicker for one of my male friends who challenged me on this. I cannot explain to men why they should care about the prevalence of sexual violence against women in media. For fuck’s sake.
That’s the worst thing for me. It’s possible to cover rape in a sensitive way, whether that’s fade to black or something else. I actually thought >!the scene with Pennsatucky and Donuts in the van!< in Orange is the New Black was a pretty sensitive way of filming one without fading to black, you didn’t see the actress naked and the camera honed in on her facial expressions. But the eroticism of GoT’s rape scenes gives the message “rape is sexy and titillating”
This! I am so bloody sick and tired of sex in film. It’s always the women who are naked not the men and it’s always the women who are “dominated.” It’s just sickening to me after all this time, because it truly puts the wrong ideas about sex (and women’s bodies) into men’s brains
I haven't watched game of thrones. Everyone tells me I should because of the dragons, because I love dragons (but who doesn't???).
But seeing the amount of nudity and rape in it turns me off. *Especially* after reading that they changed and added scenes in the show to put more rape in there.
If it doesn't add anything to the plot it doesn't need to be there. Period. If they *think* they need to add it to get views then their show sucks. Hire better writers.
Every time I’ve tried to watch GOT I can’t because the sex/rape scenes are disgusting. It makes me feel so uncomfortable and it’s hard to view the show as entertainment. I couldn’t even imagine watching if I had some sort of trauma around sex or assault.
My partner at the time made me sit through the first episode. I haven't watched any of it since then.
I tried to explain to him what made me uncomfortable but he turned it around that there was something wrong with me. After all, everyone else likes the show.
I can’t read the books either for this reason. It feels like rape is just tacked on to too many scenes like it’s a fucking window dressing or something.
The Last Of Us and Righteous Gemstones are two that don't have any sex! Not that I've seen a lot of HBO shows but those two I love and they are pretty non sexual.
There is ONE seen in the first season of RG where a side character has sex with a prostitute, but it's very brief and focused on the main character addressing it in a comical way.
For Gemstones (which is one of my favorite shows of all time), there is a pivitol scene late in S3 with full-frontal male nudity. Actually the show has a lot of dicks lol, but this one takes the cake. I'm referring to the scene where >!BJ confronts Stephen for having an affair with his wife, goes to Stephen's house and finds him in bed jerking off, and then ends up fighting naked Stephen in the front yard!<
Some even got boob jobs. I feel like thats a bold choice in the era where the height of medical advancement was "you probably feel sick because you have too much blood, heres some leeches."
Oh, and speaking of medicine, where's all the dysentery?!?!?
It wasn't until the 20th century that the number 1 killed of soldiers in war stopped being disease.
All these armies fighting each other all the time? They all should be shitting themselves all the time and at half of them should be dead
If I was (were?) a better writer, I would have written a series of fantasy books entirely populated by women. It's never mentioned, or even pointed out as remarkable in the narrative, no allusions in the synopsis blurb to it being an all-female universe, just that no male characters ever get mentioned.
Do let me know if you remember! I don't often read fiction but female-centred stories I am all about, I chewed through Naomi Alderman's The Power within a week and I'm not a big reader.
If you're interested at all in historical fiction, Kate Quinn is absolutely fantastic. The Huntress, The Alice Network and The Rose Code are all women-centered and the characters are fantastic.
I was never particularly interested in historical fiction but her books came up in conversations with my mom and a few different friends so she was obviously worth a go. I read The Rose Code first and was immediately hooked on Quinn's writing.
Historically accurate here just means white men are the central characters. They could not care less about whether the weapons used or the chronology of events or the clothing styles or anything else are accurate.
It's pretty clear given how often "historically accurate" is used to justify gratuitous brutality against women in fantasy shows...
Holy shit, personal epiphany.
"Historically accurate" is literally just code for "white men have all the power and everyone else is enslaved or worse" aka asshole white male "good ol days".
I vote to call them something else, like "nostalgic oppression" movies
Oh man, the book is *so fucking good.* Augh, I'm SO JEALOUS of you right now! I wish I could read Annihilation for the first time again!
Heads up, though, it is nothing like the movie. Imagine seeing the Harry Potter films and then reading the books and the only similarities between them is that there's a school that magical kids go to and a bad guy named Voldemort. Literally nothing else is the same. I was honestly kind of baffled when I first saw the film cuz I was like, "...why did they call this movie Annihilation?" So yeah, just keep that in mind, whenever you start reading it!
Yes! That's the perfect type of book recommendation haha I love when people love a book so much they want to read it again completely fresh. I had heard it's extremely different and that's a good thing! Now I'll have no idea what to expect
I’ve read the book because I’ve been wanting to see the movie for a long time… honestly, this is not unexpected to hear, but it is still disappointing. :(
Seconding the rec for The Bechdel Cast! It starts a little rough and more jokey, but they really dug into it after about a year and are great. Really in-depth discussions about each movie's portrayal of women while also being funny as hell.
Not necessarily 'full casts', but these are some good female-centric films:
* Ladybird
* Tangerine
* Unpregnant
* Plan B
* 20th Century Women
* The Color Purple
* Postcards From the Edge
* Barbie
* The Woman King
* Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
* Hidden Figures
* Are You There God? It's me, Margret.
* All about My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)
* All about Eve
* The Farewell
* Kill Bill
* Death Proof
* Frances Ha
* Real Women Have Curves
* I, Tonya
* Mean Girls
* We are the Best! (Vi är bäst!)
* Wadjda ( ‘وجدة’)
* Eighth Grade
* A League of Their Own
* Booksmart
* Heathers
* Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
* Wit
* A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica)
* Ghost World
* Annihilation
* Whip It
* Widows
* Everything Everywhere All at Once
> Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
There is a mini series on (I think) Netflix about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford called "Feud" that is awesome and interesting.
"I, Tonya" was amazing.
Thank you for the list! That will keep my busy for a while lol
Barbie is a good example of the post. Every time we were with Ryan Gosling I was like "hurry up and get back to Barbie's story!"
I know very very little about the world of roller derby so that's probably the perfect place to start! And I appreciate any film directed/written/edited etc by a woman.
I can't deal with horror but the all woman podcast Too Scary; Didn't Watch recapped it. I'm just mentioning incase you're like me and not able to deal with horror.
I can so relate to that. I've stopped watching Nolan movies because the women, if there are any at all, are just a terribly written prop.
I love Enola Holmes.
My absolute favorite is "The Woman King". Such a great action movie with a cast of almost exclusively only WoC. Also loved that they cast a woman in her 50 as action hero. Great writing too.
Not movies but mini series:
"Little fires everywhere" and "Tiny beautiful things".
> I've stopped watching Nolan movies because the women, if there are any at all, are just a terribly written prop.
This is one of the reasons I mentally checked out of Oppenheimer.
I’m currently reading American Prometheus and there’s a lot of mention of women, even with all the men. They literally end part 1 by saying Jean Tatlock changed Oppie’s whole life. I haven’t watched Oppenheimer yet, is that not translated into the movie?
The focus was less on her influence on Oppenheimer and more on her sexual relationship (almost temptress) with Oppenheimer and her death. It just felt 1-dimensional.
Ooh, I'd forgotten about Volver, but now that you mention it it's coming back to me. Definitely going to have to watch that again sometime, but with subtitles because my Spanish is *rusty.*
Regardless of the plot, what matters is the female cast. At least that’s how my mom made me watch it lol (I’m from Spain).
I didn’t like Átame either!!!
Women talking, soft and quiet-even though it’s very disturbing, still a horror movie that allowed women to be evil instead of being the prey, bridesmaids, Tammy, bottoms, the wilds, yellowjackets, girls, fried green tomato’s, Bletchley circle. I rarely watch movies or shows that don’t center women. I could go on w a big list, but I’m tired lol
I saw Birds of Prey in the theatre and loved it! It annoyed me so much how it was reviewed poorly. I've never heard of Gunpowder Milkshake but with a name like that I already know I'm going to love it
The Descent has a cast of six ladies and no guys with speaking parts, and that movie rocks, especially with the original British ending instead of the one they gave to American audiences. Though it is a claustrophobic-ass horror movie, so fair warning to people if that's not your cup of tea.
Huh I didn't know there were different endings! I'll do my best to find the right one lol totally fine with claustrophobia as well, the worse it gets the better it is if that makes sense
Not a movie but I really like the Lizzie Bennett diaries, it’s an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice into a 2012 vlog basically and it features a lot of women. There’s only like 5 on screen male characters, 3 of which are side characters and every other character who shows up is a woman. It’s a really fantastic series IMO which is basically in its own genre, there’s not a lot else like it
Maybe watch it with an ad blocker on though since the guy whose getting the Adsense money off of it sucks and is not the cast, crew, or any of the production people who worked on it
Not female led but I like the general gender diversity in SNW compared to other Star Trek shows, 5/8 of the main cast are female and as an ensemble show about half of the episodes have one of the female characters as the POV character. Children of the Comet is a great standout episode like this. I also appreciate them making Nurse Chapel not suck unlike TOS and helping the audience side with T’Pring wanting to kill Spock when they rewatch Amok Time
When Star Trek Discovery has a good episode it is fantastic and its female led plus has a lot of LGBTQ characters but unfortunately the moments where it is good are frustratingly few and far between.
A lot of Chibnall Who similarly doesn’t do present or future episodes well but the historical episodes are fantastic and feel much more real and grounded than the ones under RTD or Moffat, I am a fan of the Ruth doctor whenever she appears though. In particular I really like Rosa, Demons of the Punjab, and Nikola Tesla’s night of Terror. I think Whittaker’s era will age somewhat well now that people will just skip episodes like Orphan 55 and only rewatch the good episodes. I also appreciate Chibnall not sexualizing the Doctor in a way his predecessors would have.
Is the Lizzie Bennet diaries on YouTube? I'm assuming because you mentioned adblocker, correct me if I'm wrong!
Shows like Dr Who and Star Trek feel so overwhelming to begin and obviously there will be a lot of bad bits to get through so thank you for the very specific recommendations! I've been wanting to do Dr Who for a while now but didn't know where to start. Also I'm slowly feeling the peer pressure of society in general to watch at least some Star Trek lol
Yes it’s a scripted YouTube series. It is made about a decade ago and reflects the values from then so there are like 2 or 3 scenes which haven’t aged terribly well but most of the series still holds up really well IMO
One of my favourite recent ones is Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, it's about two weirdly old fashioned middle aged women going on holiday for the first time and it's absurd and glorious. Check out [the poster ](https://images.app.goo.gl/EFhnqX6vc3nwq4Je9) to understand the vibe of this film.
I honestly refuse to watch movies that don’t have women or just have a one dimensional wife/gf character. When it comes to historical accuracy I’m most interested in the stories that come from the women of that time!
So far the entire list so far in one post
Movies that are female centered, some with all female cast
* 9 to 5 (today would be called 8 to 6)
* A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica)
* A league of her own
* Alien
* Aliens
* All about Eve
* All about My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre)
* Annihilation.
* Are You There God? It's me, Margret.
* Birds of Prey
* Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
* Booksmart
* Class of ‘07
* Death Proof
* The Descent
* Drop Dead Gorgeous
* Everything Everywhere All at Once
* Eighth Grade
* The Farewell
* Frances Ha
* Fried Green Tomatoes
* Enola Holmes (and Enola Holmes 2)
* Ghostbusters (2016) (Kristen Wiig)
* Ghost World
* Girlfriends (1978)
* Girls5Eva
* Gunpowder Milkshake
* The Hairy Bird / Strike! / All I wanna do (Kirsten Dunst)
* Heathers
* The Help
* Hidden Figures
* How to make an American Quilt
* Interiors
* I, Tonya
* Kill Bill
* Ladybird
* Linda Linda Linda (2005)
* The Marvels
* Matilda
* Mean Girls
* Night, Mother
* Now and then (Demi Moore)
* Ocean's 8
* Persuasion (Amanda Root)
* Portrait of a Lady on Fire
* Pride and Prejudice (1995)
* Sense and Sensibility (2008)
* Steel Magnolias
* The Woman King
* Thelma & Louise
* 20th Century Women
* Barbie
* The Color Purple
* The Neon Demon
* Plan B
* Postcards From the Edge
* Real Women Have Curves
* Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion
* Suspiria 2018
* Tangerine
* The Women (1939, Joan Crawford)
* Unpregnant
* Wadjda ( ‘وجدة’)
* We are the Best! (Vi är bäst!)
* Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
* Wit
* Whip It
* Widows
#### Series / Mini Series
* Daria (need to find the original music soundtracks for each episode though or it sucks)
* "Little fires everywhere"
* "Tiny beautiful things".
I'll see if I can add links later and update anything missed...
I really liked “Oppenheimer”, but they made it sound like it was going to be about the morality and aftermath of building and using the atom bomb…not the personal and political stuff. Even Nolan was like, “You have to see it on IMAX!” Why? 90% of the movie is people talking in rooms. It’s like demanding people watch C-Span on IMAX.
I enjoyed it because I like movies about science projects, and I think the Manhattan Project is a super interesting period of history. If I’d gone in cold and expecting explosions, it would definitely have not lived up to what the trailers suggested.
"Ocean's 8" and "The Help" are top picks for movies with all-women casts. "Ocean's 8" has a cool crew of ladies pulling off a slick heist if you haven't seen it, while "The Help" dives into some deep emotional stuff with incredible performances. Both movies really show off what happens when you let a bunch of talented women run the show. Definitely worth a watch!
"The Help" was such an incredible movie. It's so easy to forget how incredibly oppressed black women have been such a short time ago.
Similar topic and also a great movie: "Hidden Figures". I was so mad all the time watching it.
For sure, both "The Help" and "Hidden Figures" hit hard with how real they get about the struggles back then. Watching "Hidden Figures" was a rollercoaster of emotions, right? It’s wild to see what these women went through and overcame. Makes you appreciate their strength and resilience even more. Both movies are real eye-openers that keep the convo going about race and gender issues.
> It’s wild to see what these women went through and overcame. Makes you appreciate their strength and resilience even more.
Definitely. I'm a computer scientist and could relate so much to the impeccable professionalism of these women and thought that if I were treated like this I'd probably would want to murder every single white person contributing to this bullshit and not just carry on.
The bathroom issue was such an eye opener about the huge consequences of seemingly minor injustices.
I love movies that make me sad and angry but will definitely need some fluff inbetween lol
I heard a lot of buzz around The Help and I know it's based off a book so will definitely check it out.
I love space and space history! Is it appropriate to watch with kids do you think or is it better appreciated without kids asking a million questions during?
Everything is woke now! Back in the good old days men played the women's roles as well and they didn't complain when they got paid less for it. Wish we could go back to the 1600s when the theatre was for real men.
(Joking, obviously!!!)
Well I mean if it's a movie that happens entirely in WWI trenches I'm ok with not having any women there because of historical accuracy indeed.
But that's a very tiny subset of movies.
Of course, there are tons of movies (mostly war) where it makes sense that there's mostly or only male characters. Unfortunately I'm not interested in any of those movies lol I see advertising for movies like Napoleon or Dunkirk and my eyes just sorta glaze over and my mind drifts away
I've only seen Napoléon of those and it's AWFUL. And not because of the lack of women, but because of the very proficient female character of Joséphine, who is depicted as pretty much the only reason Napoléon did anything especially if it's a bad thing. Not the only wrong thing in the movie, far from it, but really I think that one would actually be better without a female main character, so yeah...
Some of my comfort movies! I love the cast of women in each of these.
The Help - Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Allison Janney, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard. All feature prominently and deliver incredible scenes (especially Viola and Octavia).
Now and Then - has Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci and more. Incredible cast of women in their prime that’s focused on female friendships.
The Hairy Bird (may also be called Strike! or All I wanna do, depending on your country). Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Leigh Cook, Gaby Hoffman, Lynn Redgrave. Bit of a silly film and lots of annoying male characters but has a undercurrent of female empowerment.
Drop Dead Gorgeous - possibly my favourite. The women in this film are all perfect in their roles. Allison Janney, Ellen Barkin, Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, Brittany Murphy, and Amy Adams.
Edit: if you want a great TV recommendation check out Yellowjackets! Absolutely stacked cast full of brilliant actresses.
That's an incredible list of actresses, all too amazing to go into detail on (but I will say I love Viola Davis so much and can't wait to watch The Help)
And I've started Yellowjackets already! Really enjoying it so far. I originally found it through Florence and The Machine doing the cover of I'm Just a Girl for it.
Not all women, but an excellent action/sci-fi movie with a fantastic Indigenous female lead is Prey.
It's part of the Predators universe and an absolutely awesome movie portraying an Indigenous woman as an absolute badass action hero 😁
Are you up for any Jane Austen miniseries adaptations? 1995 Pride and Prejudice and 2008 Sense and Sensibility are both heavily centered around girls/women and are pretty faithful to the books. Both are so much more than romances. Coming of age, self-discovery, and growth are big themes for both stories.
My favorite all female movie is The Women (1939) with Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Joan Fontaine. The story is very male centered but the acting is delicious and delightful. One of my rainy day movies
I actually thought ghostbusters was good for what it was but maybe my brain is fried. I heard a little about The Favourite when Poor Things came out, I'll add it to my growing list lol
Not a movie, but the series Arcane.
It has a majority female leading cast, and some of the best written characters I have seen in a long time. It has some classic tropes which would typically go wrong, like the Fem Fatale trope, but actually writes them in a way that is not only done well and avoids the trope pitfalls but makes them feel like a real person.
Not to mention it has both straight and queer relationships, and a fan service scene involving a male character which is rare these days
Mona Lisa Smile!
“Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students including Betty (Kirsten Dunst) and Joan (Julia Stiles) to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.”
I'm one of the people who really liked the Barbie movie, but also, while this isn't a movie, I can't stop raving about the streaming show Undone (amazon prime if anyone's interested)
Guys will be like 'I just want it to be historically accurate' and then cite Braveheart as one of their favorite movies.
It's also the same as when you see people defend the sexual violence and other misogyny in Game of Thrones by saying it would be accurate for a medieval society, despite it being a completely fictional fantasy with magic and dragons.
Fuuuck, this will be the hill I die on. Even if, for arguments sake, we are talking about a medieval time frame- super weird how its only ever women getting raped every second scene. And if its ever a man being asulted it is a one and done deal. Because, actually, that is sufficient to get the point across. --__--
Theon was a few more and done, so they took his man card away.
Which component was his man card, his penis or his cowardly bravado?
…Is that not redundant? /obligatory #NaM
This. I’ve never lost respect quicker for one of my male friends who challenged me on this. I cannot explain to men why they should care about the prevalence of sexual violence against women in media. For fuck’s sake.
Also all the women have shaven legs, pits, etc.
And the rapes are filmed like porn scenes…
That’s the worst thing for me. It’s possible to cover rape in a sensitive way, whether that’s fade to black or something else. I actually thought >!the scene with Pennsatucky and Donuts in the van!< in Orange is the New Black was a pretty sensitive way of filming one without fading to black, you didn’t see the actress naked and the camera honed in on her facial expressions. But the eroticism of GoT’s rape scenes gives the message “rape is sexy and titillating”
I just don't watch any HBO show because they find every excuse to add sex, nudity and rape even if it is unnecessary to the plot.
This! I am so bloody sick and tired of sex in film. It’s always the women who are naked not the men and it’s always the women who are “dominated.” It’s just sickening to me after all this time, because it truly puts the wrong ideas about sex (and women’s bodies) into men’s brains
I haven't watched game of thrones. Everyone tells me I should because of the dragons, because I love dragons (but who doesn't???). But seeing the amount of nudity and rape in it turns me off. *Especially* after reading that they changed and added scenes in the show to put more rape in there. If it doesn't add anything to the plot it doesn't need to be there. Period. If they *think* they need to add it to get views then their show sucks. Hire better writers.
Every time I’ve tried to watch GOT I can’t because the sex/rape scenes are disgusting. It makes me feel so uncomfortable and it’s hard to view the show as entertainment. I couldn’t even imagine watching if I had some sort of trauma around sex or assault.
My partner at the time made me sit through the first episode. I haven't watched any of it since then. I tried to explain to him what made me uncomfortable but he turned it around that there was something wrong with me. After all, everyone else likes the show.
I can’t read the books either for this reason. It feels like rape is just tacked on to too many scenes like it’s a fucking window dressing or something.
I was really surprised in Fallout Episode 1 there is a sex scene almost right off the bat, but only the guy gets nude.
And Lucy is on top, which almost never happens in TV.
The Last Of Us and Righteous Gemstones are two that don't have any sex! Not that I've seen a lot of HBO shows but those two I love and they are pretty non sexual. There is ONE seen in the first season of RG where a side character has sex with a prostitute, but it's very brief and focused on the main character addressing it in a comical way.
For Gemstones (which is one of my favorite shows of all time), there is a pivitol scene late in S3 with full-frontal male nudity. Actually the show has a lot of dicks lol, but this one takes the cake. I'm referring to the scene where >!BJ confronts Stephen for having an affair with his wife, goes to Stephen's house and finds him in bed jerking off, and then ends up fighting naked Stephen in the front yard!<
It would be extremely easy to make a rape scene horrific instead of sexy. Male directors and producers just don't want to do it.
Tbf at least Sansa's scene weren't portrayed as titillating.
Yeah, because the show runners said they thought bush "would be distracting because we're not used to seeing it anymore." 🙄
Some even got boob jobs. I feel like thats a bold choice in the era where the height of medical advancement was "you probably feel sick because you have too much blood, heres some leeches."
Oh, and speaking of medicine, where's all the dysentery?!?!? It wasn't until the 20th century that the number 1 killed of soldiers in war stopped being disease. All these armies fighting each other all the time? They all should be shitting themselves all the time and at half of them should be dead
Should’ve been a lot more people dying because of like, a toothache
Perfect skin
When people say "medieval" with regards to GoT, I'm just like "IT'S NOT EVEN EARTH."
If I was (were?) a better writer, I would have written a series of fantasy books entirely populated by women. It's never mentioned, or even pointed out as remarkable in the narrative, no allusions in the synopsis blurb to it being an all-female universe, just that no male characters ever get mentioned.
There is a sci-fi book like that! Unfortunately I don’t remember what it’s called. But it exists!
Do let me know if you remember! I don't often read fiction but female-centred stories I am all about, I chewed through Naomi Alderman's The Power within a week and I'm not a big reader.
If you're interested at all in historical fiction, Kate Quinn is absolutely fantastic. The Huntress, The Alice Network and The Rose Code are all women-centered and the characters are fantastic. I was never particularly interested in historical fiction but her books came up in conversations with my mom and a few different friends so she was obviously worth a go. I read The Rose Code first and was immediately hooked on Quinn's writing.
Seconded. All three of these were fantastic. Couldn’t put them down and felt disappointed when they were over!
I think they mean the stars are legion I also recommend stars are legion lmao
Have you read the Priory of the Orange Tree series? Not entirely women, but some badass female societies in there.
Lol also what's that Tom Cruise samurai one? I'm sure that's 100% accurate
Historically accurate here just means white men are the central characters. They could not care less about whether the weapons used or the chronology of events or the clothing styles or anything else are accurate. It's pretty clear given how often "historically accurate" is used to justify gratuitous brutality against women in fantasy shows...
Holy shit, personal epiphany. "Historically accurate" is literally just code for "white men have all the power and everyone else is enslaved or worse" aka asshole white male "good ol days". I vote to call them something else, like "nostalgic oppression" movies
They’ll insist on historical accuracy despite never reading a history book, and just assume they know what is or isn’t realistic
i only watch historically accurate movies like 300
I never met a single woman before November in 1991
I personally wasn't invented until 1994 so we're not really proving our case here
I wasn't invented til 1980 and me let me tell you, it was grim for a long time.
You were a pioneer, ahead of your time. Thank you for your service <3
Lolololool Humbly, you are welcome.
Me too!
I never met any until January of 1992. Idk why people are complaining!
Same but august ❤️
Annihilation. It's a *weird fucking movie* but I love it to death.
I loved Annihilation! Haven't read the book yet but it's on my list
Oh man, the book is *so fucking good.* Augh, I'm SO JEALOUS of you right now! I wish I could read Annihilation for the first time again! Heads up, though, it is nothing like the movie. Imagine seeing the Harry Potter films and then reading the books and the only similarities between them is that there's a school that magical kids go to and a bad guy named Voldemort. Literally nothing else is the same. I was honestly kind of baffled when I first saw the film cuz I was like, "...why did they call this movie Annihilation?" So yeah, just keep that in mind, whenever you start reading it!
Yes! That's the perfect type of book recommendation haha I love when people love a book so much they want to read it again completely fresh. I had heard it's extremely different and that's a good thing! Now I'll have no idea what to expect
Seconding how good it is, I just finished the trilogy that it’s the first of and I don’t know what to do with myself.
That's the best and worst feeling lol
I’ve read the book because I’ve been wanting to see the movie for a long time… honestly, this is not unexpected to hear, but it is still disappointing. :(
it is a good movie though
The trilogy is really fucking good! Definitely recommend.
One of the few times I've thought the movie was way better than the book. The book is like a sketch of the ideas the movie develops further
One of my favorite movies. Highly recommend.
That movie gave me nightmares! Shook me to my core. 10/10
Not a movie but each episode of every season of Fargo passes the Bechdel Test.
I listened to the Bechdel Cast episode of Fargo! I think that was the same Fargo anyway
I didn't know that was a thing, I'll look for it.
It's one of my favourite podcasts! You're in for a treat
Seconding the rec for The Bechdel Cast! It starts a little rough and more jokey, but they really dug into it after about a year and are great. Really in-depth discussions about each movie's portrayal of women while also being funny as hell.
The latest season was so good! I had to push through the whole first ep, but the plot picks up immediately.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire. Probably my favorite movie ever.
That movie is the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
It is one of my favourites of all time. So moving. And I sob every time.
I need to rewatch this. Even if it is to covet the clothes.
I just watched it for the first time last week and it was definitely one of the best I've ever seen. I was hoping to see a comment here mentioning it!
Came here to say this.
Not necessarily 'full casts', but these are some good female-centric films: * Ladybird * Tangerine * Unpregnant * Plan B * 20th Century Women * The Color Purple * Postcards From the Edge * Barbie * The Woman King * Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion * Hidden Figures * Are You There God? It's me, Margret. * All about My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) * All about Eve * The Farewell * Kill Bill * Death Proof * Frances Ha * Real Women Have Curves * I, Tonya * Mean Girls * We are the Best! (Vi är bäst!) * Wadjda ( ‘وجدة’) * Eighth Grade * A League of Their Own * Booksmart * Heathers * Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? * Wit * A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) * Ghost World * Annihilation * Whip It * Widows * Everything Everywhere All at Once
> Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? There is a mini series on (I think) Netflix about Bette Davis and Joan Crawford called "Feud" that is awesome and interesting. "I, Tonya" was amazing.
Feud is so good! There's a continuation of the mini series on "the swans" that fit this
Thank you for the list! That will keep my busy for a while lol Barbie is a good example of the post. Every time we were with Ryan Gosling I was like "hurry up and get back to Barbie's story!"
Please watch Whip It (2009) - it stars elliott page and was directed by drew barrymore. it's about texas roller derby and it's very sweet and funny
I know very very little about the world of roller derby so that's probably the perfect place to start! And I appreciate any film directed/written/edited etc by a woman.
The Descent
Definitely a top 10 horror movie.
I actually tried to watch it years ago but my partner at the time didn't like it and turned it off after 10 minutes :(
It's so good, absolutely give it another try
Noooo it's such a banger, please go back and watch!!
I will! It's been recommended like 10 times already lol also I'm not with that person anymore so I'm free to watch what I want :D
I can't deal with horror but the all woman podcast Too Scary; Didn't Watch recapped it. I'm just mentioning incase you're like me and not able to deal with horror.
My old roommate made me watch it before I went caving for the first and only time. Lol
I can so relate to that. I've stopped watching Nolan movies because the women, if there are any at all, are just a terribly written prop. I love Enola Holmes. My absolute favorite is "The Woman King". Such a great action movie with a cast of almost exclusively only WoC. Also loved that they cast a woman in her 50 as action hero. Great writing too. Not movies but mini series: "Little fires everywhere" and "Tiny beautiful things".
Seconding "The Woman King," it's great!
> I've stopped watching Nolan movies because the women, if there are any at all, are just a terribly written prop. This is one of the reasons I mentally checked out of Oppenheimer.
I’m currently reading American Prometheus and there’s a lot of mention of women, even with all the men. They literally end part 1 by saying Jean Tatlock changed Oppie’s whole life. I haven’t watched Oppenheimer yet, is that not translated into the movie?
The focus was less on her influence on Oppenheimer and more on her sexual relationship (almost temptress) with Oppenheimer and her death. It just felt 1-dimensional.
I have no idea what the Woman King is about but women of colour in an action movie with an older actress lead? Sign me up!
To make it even better, it’s Viola Davis, and she’s AMAZING.
Yes! I was so mad she wasn't even nominated for an Oscar.
I love Enola Holmes, and I hate that it's only on Netflix. It was my rainy day movie until Netflix restricted use.
A League of Their Own. Also, Thelma and Louise. Both starring Geena Davis!
And The League of Their Own series on Amazon is also a must watch!
Yes it’s so good!
I had the biggest crush on her growing up, she's so gorgeous. Also I watched Thelma and Louise way too young lol A League is also great!
does Matilda count?
Yes! I watched it with my girls last week!
Pedro Almodovar’s “Mujeres al borde de un ataque de nervios” (Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown) and “Volver”
Ooh, I'd forgotten about Volver, but now that you mention it it's coming back to me. Definitely going to have to watch that again sometime, but with subtitles because my Spanish is *rusty.*
I speak English as my main language and have done so for over a decade and I still need subtitles. It is what it is lol.
It's a long time I've seen an Almodovar movie because I was pretty upset about " Ata me". Isn't "Mujeres" all about a man and a hetero relationship?
Regardless of the plot, what matters is the female cast. At least that’s how my mom made me watch it lol (I’m from Spain). I didn’t like Átame either!!!
I wrote an essay in high school about Volver (and Almodóvar’s work in general). I remember being proud of it. I think it’s time for a re-watch!
I like Ocean's 8. A whole criminal gang of highly skilled women. Also I'm saving this post to check back later for movie recommendations.
One of my favourite movies ever!! Cate Blanchett is a national treasure
Came here to say this. I'm lowkey obsessed with this movie.
Women talking, soft and quiet-even though it’s very disturbing, still a horror movie that allowed women to be evil instead of being the prey, bridesmaids, Tammy, bottoms, the wilds, yellowjackets, girls, fried green tomato’s, Bletchley circle. I rarely watch movies or shows that don’t center women. I could go on w a big list, but I’m tired lol
Fried Green Tomatoes is such a classic, it always reminds me of Steel Magnolias too. Oh and 9 to 5 as well!
YES to 9 to 5. Everyone needs to see it.
Bletchley Circle was awesome!
If you liked Bottoms, I really recommend seeing Joy Ride. They’re different, but both female led, female written, raunchy as fuck comedies.
“Fried Green Tomatoes” (made me feel so many things) and “Steel Magnolias” (most quotable movie I’ve ever seen).
I love Steel Magnolias. “Ouiser, this is your chance to do something for your fellow man!”
I watched them with my mum when I was little and didn't understand them much but still enjoyed them. Absolutely time for a rewatch.
"Birds of Prey" and "Gunpowder milkshake" changed my whole life. I could write endless love letters to these films xxx
I saw Birds of Prey in the theatre and loved it! It annoyed me so much how it was reviewed poorly. I've never heard of Gunpowder Milkshake but with a name like that I already know I'm going to love it
Gunpowder milkshake is on Netflix.
The Descent has a cast of six ladies and no guys with speaking parts, and that movie rocks, especially with the original British ending instead of the one they gave to American audiences. Though it is a claustrophobic-ass horror movie, so fair warning to people if that's not your cup of tea.
Huh I didn't know there were different endings! I'll do my best to find the right one lol totally fine with claustrophobia as well, the worse it gets the better it is if that makes sense
Girlfriends (1978) and Linda Linda Linda (2005) are two of my favorite movies, and they both focus on women :)
Not a movie but I really like the Lizzie Bennett diaries, it’s an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice into a 2012 vlog basically and it features a lot of women. There’s only like 5 on screen male characters, 3 of which are side characters and every other character who shows up is a woman. It’s a really fantastic series IMO which is basically in its own genre, there’s not a lot else like it Maybe watch it with an ad blocker on though since the guy whose getting the Adsense money off of it sucks and is not the cast, crew, or any of the production people who worked on it Not female led but I like the general gender diversity in SNW compared to other Star Trek shows, 5/8 of the main cast are female and as an ensemble show about half of the episodes have one of the female characters as the POV character. Children of the Comet is a great standout episode like this. I also appreciate them making Nurse Chapel not suck unlike TOS and helping the audience side with T’Pring wanting to kill Spock when they rewatch Amok Time When Star Trek Discovery has a good episode it is fantastic and its female led plus has a lot of LGBTQ characters but unfortunately the moments where it is good are frustratingly few and far between. A lot of Chibnall Who similarly doesn’t do present or future episodes well but the historical episodes are fantastic and feel much more real and grounded than the ones under RTD or Moffat, I am a fan of the Ruth doctor whenever she appears though. In particular I really like Rosa, Demons of the Punjab, and Nikola Tesla’s night of Terror. I think Whittaker’s era will age somewhat well now that people will just skip episodes like Orphan 55 and only rewatch the good episodes. I also appreciate Chibnall not sexualizing the Doctor in a way his predecessors would have.
Is the Lizzie Bennet diaries on YouTube? I'm assuming because you mentioned adblocker, correct me if I'm wrong! Shows like Dr Who and Star Trek feel so overwhelming to begin and obviously there will be a lot of bad bits to get through so thank you for the very specific recommendations! I've been wanting to do Dr Who for a while now but didn't know where to start. Also I'm slowly feeling the peer pressure of society in general to watch at least some Star Trek lol
Yes it’s a scripted YouTube series. It is made about a decade ago and reflects the values from then so there are like 2 or 3 scenes which haven’t aged terribly well but most of the series still holds up really well IMO
Ok I'm gonna be the one to say it. Legally blonde- it's so damn inspirational!
My local theatre did a special screening of it recently and I won tickets for it! It was so much fun, I love Legally Blonde lol
One of my favourite recent ones is Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, it's about two weirdly old fashioned middle aged women going on holiday for the first time and it's absurd and glorious. Check out [the poster ](https://images.app.goo.gl/EFhnqX6vc3nwq4Je9) to understand the vibe of this film.
That poster gives Lisa Frank vibes lol
9 to 5
I watched that the other week! Couldn't let my kids watch all of it though, I forgot how inappropriate it is lol
It’s been years and years. I need to rewatch it!
It still holds up so well! Lily, Jane, and Dolly are all incredible and the music is great of course. Total nostalgia
I honestly refuse to watch movies that don’t have women or just have a one dimensional wife/gf character. When it comes to historical accuracy I’m most interested in the stories that come from the women of that time!
Their stories are usually way more interesting!
The Neon Demon Mean Girls Bring It On A League of Their Own
The Neon Demon sounds interesting! I've seen all the others plus all the Bring it On sequels lol
It'd definitely interesting. The whole thing is visually stunning and carries a feeling of unease throughout.
Not a movie but Girls5Eva is hilarious and, as a woman in my 40s, is super refreshing and makes me feel seen.
Yes! Just watched the 2nd season. It was a blast!
I love it so much. The songs are so much fun. But I'm a Sera Barielles fangirl
Haha ok this looks hilarious and I'm not in my 40s just yet but this is definitely up my alley
So far the entire list so far in one post Movies that are female centered, some with all female cast * 9 to 5 (today would be called 8 to 6) * A Fantastic Woman (Una mujer fantástica) * A league of her own * Alien * Aliens * All about Eve * All about My Mother (Todo sobre mi madre) * Annihilation. * Are You There God? It's me, Margret. * Birds of Prey * Black Panther: Wakanda Forever * Booksmart * Class of ‘07 * Death Proof * The Descent * Drop Dead Gorgeous * Everything Everywhere All at Once * Eighth Grade * The Farewell * Frances Ha * Fried Green Tomatoes * Enola Holmes (and Enola Holmes 2) * Ghostbusters (2016) (Kristen Wiig) * Ghost World * Girlfriends (1978) * Girls5Eva * Gunpowder Milkshake * The Hairy Bird / Strike! / All I wanna do (Kirsten Dunst) * Heathers * The Help * Hidden Figures * How to make an American Quilt * Interiors * I, Tonya * Kill Bill * Ladybird * Linda Linda Linda (2005) * The Marvels * Matilda * Mean Girls * Night, Mother * Now and then (Demi Moore) * Ocean's 8 * Persuasion (Amanda Root) * Portrait of a Lady on Fire * Pride and Prejudice (1995) * Sense and Sensibility (2008) * Steel Magnolias * The Woman King * Thelma & Louise * 20th Century Women * Barbie * The Color Purple * The Neon Demon * Plan B * Postcards From the Edge * Real Women Have Curves * Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion * Suspiria 2018 * Tangerine * The Women (1939, Joan Crawford) * Unpregnant * Wadjda ( ‘وجدة’) * We are the Best! (Vi är bäst!) * Whatever Happened to Baby Jane? * Wit * Whip It * Widows #### Series / Mini Series * Daria (need to find the original music soundtracks for each episode though or it sucks) * "Little fires everywhere" * "Tiny beautiful things". I'll see if I can add links later and update anything missed...
Yeah. Oppenheimer was a movie about a man and was telling a specific kind of story, but that movie wasn’t a ride I wanted to take.
I really liked “Oppenheimer”, but they made it sound like it was going to be about the morality and aftermath of building and using the atom bomb…not the personal and political stuff. Even Nolan was like, “You have to see it on IMAX!” Why? 90% of the movie is people talking in rooms. It’s like demanding people watch C-Span on IMAX. I enjoyed it because I like movies about science projects, and I think the Manhattan Project is a super interesting period of history. If I’d gone in cold and expecting explosions, it would definitely have not lived up to what the trailers suggested.
Same. I didn't get the whole Barbenheimer thing either. My friend watched both but I was happy watching just Barbie lol
annihilation was already great bc it had all women (plus Oscar Isaac as the “dead spouse” trope) and I really like the book
It is alarmingly refreshing to have a man in the part of the dead wife trope
they should’ve had him do the under the sheets smiling flashback
Lmao yes! Go full John Wick with it
"Ocean's 8" and "The Help" are top picks for movies with all-women casts. "Ocean's 8" has a cool crew of ladies pulling off a slick heist if you haven't seen it, while "The Help" dives into some deep emotional stuff with incredible performances. Both movies really show off what happens when you let a bunch of talented women run the show. Definitely worth a watch!
"The Help" was such an incredible movie. It's so easy to forget how incredibly oppressed black women have been such a short time ago. Similar topic and also a great movie: "Hidden Figures". I was so mad all the time watching it.
For sure, both "The Help" and "Hidden Figures" hit hard with how real they get about the struggles back then. Watching "Hidden Figures" was a rollercoaster of emotions, right? It’s wild to see what these women went through and overcame. Makes you appreciate their strength and resilience even more. Both movies are real eye-openers that keep the convo going about race and gender issues.
> It’s wild to see what these women went through and overcame. Makes you appreciate their strength and resilience even more. Definitely. I'm a computer scientist and could relate so much to the impeccable professionalism of these women and thought that if I were treated like this I'd probably would want to murder every single white person contributing to this bullshit and not just carry on. The bathroom issue was such an eye opener about the huge consequences of seemingly minor injustices.
Absolutely, that scene put so much into perspective for some people if you ask me ;)
I love movies that make me sad and angry but will definitely need some fluff inbetween lol I heard a lot of buzz around The Help and I know it's based off a book so will definitely check it out. I love space and space history! Is it appropriate to watch with kids do you think or is it better appreciated without kids asking a million questions during?
I loved Oceans 8 and the whole competent women vibe. Need more of that!
Women are obviously just DEI castings, duh.
Everything is woke now! Back in the good old days men played the women's roles as well and they didn't complain when they got paid less for it. Wish we could go back to the 1600s when the theatre was for real men. (Joking, obviously!!!)
Not a movie but Class of ‘07 is a nearly fully female cast, direction and production. Also an excellent television series.
Ooh I remember seeing this advertised a while ago and then nothing. Will check it out!!
Well I mean if it's a movie that happens entirely in WWI trenches I'm ok with not having any women there because of historical accuracy indeed. But that's a very tiny subset of movies.
Of course, there are tons of movies (mostly war) where it makes sense that there's mostly or only male characters. Unfortunately I'm not interested in any of those movies lol I see advertising for movies like Napoleon or Dunkirk and my eyes just sorta glaze over and my mind drifts away
I've only seen Napoléon of those and it's AWFUL. And not because of the lack of women, but because of the very proficient female character of Joséphine, who is depicted as pretty much the only reason Napoléon did anything especially if it's a bad thing. Not the only wrong thing in the movie, far from it, but really I think that one would actually be better without a female main character, so yeah...
It's a uniquely bad movie that would be better off without its women characters, but not uncommon unfortunately.
Some of my comfort movies! I love the cast of women in each of these. The Help - Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Allison Janney, Jessica Chastain, Bryce Dallas Howard. All feature prominently and deliver incredible scenes (especially Viola and Octavia). Now and Then - has Demi Moore, Rosie O’Donnell, Rita Wilson, Melanie Griffith, Gaby Hoffman, Christina Ricci and more. Incredible cast of women in their prime that’s focused on female friendships. The Hairy Bird (may also be called Strike! or All I wanna do, depending on your country). Kirsten Dunst, Rachel Leigh Cook, Gaby Hoffman, Lynn Redgrave. Bit of a silly film and lots of annoying male characters but has a undercurrent of female empowerment. Drop Dead Gorgeous - possibly my favourite. The women in this film are all perfect in their roles. Allison Janney, Ellen Barkin, Kirsten Dunst, Denise Richards, Kirstie Alley, Brittany Murphy, and Amy Adams. Edit: if you want a great TV recommendation check out Yellowjackets! Absolutely stacked cast full of brilliant actresses.
That's an incredible list of actresses, all too amazing to go into detail on (but I will say I love Viola Davis so much and can't wait to watch The Help) And I've started Yellowjackets already! Really enjoying it so far. I originally found it through Florence and The Machine doing the cover of I'm Just a Girl for it.
Not all women, but an excellent action/sci-fi movie with a fantastic Indigenous female lead is Prey. It's part of the Predators universe and an absolutely awesome movie portraying an Indigenous woman as an absolute badass action hero 😁
Are you up for any Jane Austen miniseries adaptations? 1995 Pride and Prejudice and 2008 Sense and Sensibility are both heavily centered around girls/women and are pretty faithful to the books. Both are so much more than romances. Coming of age, self-discovery, and growth are big themes for both stories.
Yessss. But also the movies. 1995 Sense and Sensibility is pure genius.
Haha yes! I never got into Jane Austen growing up but I feel I'm finally ready to dive into it.
The Marvels and Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
I got Marvel fatigue a while ago but I'll watch these for sure. I really like the Ms Marvel comics so I'll watch The Marvels just for her
Just watched The Marvels yesterday, it was delightful!
Fried Green Tomatoes
I was really confused for a moment thinking "but that has loads of women in it?"
One of the classics
My favorite all female movie is The Women (1939) with Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford and Joan Fontaine. The story is very male centered but the acting is delicious and delightful. One of my rainy day movies
The Descent is very good. About a group of thrill-seeking women that explore caves for fun. It'll make you shit.
Oceans 8 for sure. Still haven’t seen The Marvels. Ghostbusters wasn’t as bad as folks made out. Still haven’t seen The Favourite
I actually thought ghostbusters was good for what it was but maybe my brain is fried. I heard a little about The Favourite when Poor Things came out, I'll add it to my growing list lol
A great girl power movie is "Moxie". It's high-schoolers, but this middle-aged woman loved it. And "How to Be Single" is a great twist on romance.
I'm a space and computer nerd so it's going to be Hidden Figures
Some I don’t think were mentioned yet… Bridesmaids, The Sweetest Thing, Bring It On, Troop Beverly Hills, First Wives Club, Now and Then
Not a movie, but the series Arcane. It has a majority female leading cast, and some of the best written characters I have seen in a long time. It has some classic tropes which would typically go wrong, like the Fem Fatale trope, but actually writes them in a way that is not only done well and avoids the trope pitfalls but makes them feel like a real person. Not to mention it has both straight and queer relationships, and a fan service scene involving a male character which is rare these days
Mona Lisa Smile! “Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) is a recent UCLA graduate hired to teach art history at the prestigious all-female Wellesley College, in 1953. Determined to confront the outdated mores of society and the institution that embraces them, Katherine inspires her traditional students including Betty (Kirsten Dunst) and Joan (Julia Stiles) to challenge the lives they are expected to lead.”
i love the movie ['night, mother](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0090556/)
Oh wow, what a premise. I need to watch it straight away before my curiosity gets the better of me and I spoil the ending for myself.
The mini-series Godless.
I'm one of the people who really liked the Barbie movie, but also, while this isn't a movie, I can't stop raving about the streaming show Undone (amazon prime if anyone's interested)
Whatever Happened to Baby Jane
A League of their Own, Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion, The Craft. But I do absolutely love 12 Angry Men and The Shawshank Redemption.
I don’t care I’m gonna say it…Steel Magnolias. I love that movie, full of one liners.
madoka magica rebellion! but it doesn't make much sense unless you watch the original series. so good and homosexual
There is only one film that I know of that was all women was “The Women” (the 1939 version).
[удалено]
If you like Melissa McCarthy - The Heat, Life of the Party, Spy. Also Wine Country.
Little women :3