On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we have compiled some of the best women oriented movies of the last decade....
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On the occasion of International Women’s Day, we have compiled some of the best women oriented movies of the last decade i.e. films released between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2019. From hidden gems to massive studio films, these 10 films (in no particular order) are a carefully curated representation of our favourites.
‘The Help’ is one of the best films of 2010s, a perfect mixture of drama, humour, beauty, and truth. It is a fascinating and engrossing cinematic gem that manages to educate while it entertains. Touching on all emotions, director Tate Taylor and a talented cast paint a vivid and stirring picture of the turbulent time in the1960s Mississippi. ‘The Help’ is based on the lives of the maids who have spent their entire life taking care of white children and have been ill treated. The Help stars Emma Stone as Skeeter, Viola Davis as Aibileen and Octavia Spencer as Minny - three very different, extraordinary women in Mississippi during the 1960s, who build an unlikely friendship around a secret writing project that breaks societal rules and puts them all at risk.
It’s a rare movie to shine a light on the lives and customs of Nigerian immigrants. Devastating and dazzling in equal measure, Andrew Dosunmu’s Brooklyn-set breakthrough drama tells the story of Adenike (Danai Gurira), a young Nigerian woman who’s relocated from her native country to Brooklyn, New York, with her new husband Ayodele (Isaach De Bankole). The newlyweds struggle to settle into their new surroundings; while Adenike is also pressurised by her mother-in-law to conceive a child. It’s a powerfully sensual movie, gorgeously lensed colours and textures conveying its characters emotional states while thoughtfully exploring the range of human sexuality through Adenike’s experience. While the film captures Nigerian culture in a warm and honest way, it also strikes a chord with many Pakistanis who face similar pressures to conceive. ‘Mother of George’ is one of the best films of this decade.
Beautifully directed by Pawel Pawlikowski, ‘IDA’ is a black & white Polish film about a nun in the 1960s exploring her family origins. The film is a moving and intimate drama about a young novitiate nun in 1960s Poland who, on the verge of taking her vows, discovers a dark family secret dating from the terrible years of the Nazi occupation. Powerfully written and eloquently shot, IDA is a masterly evocation of a time, a dilemma, and a defining historical moment; IDA is also personal, intimate, and human. This intersection of the personal with momentous historic events makes for what is surely one of the most powerful and affecting films of the decade.
Directed by Todd Hayne, ‘Carol’ is one of the best romantic movies of the decade. Adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel ‘The Price of Salt’, the painstakingly delicate ‘Carol’ has all of Haynes’ tasteful hallmarks but also a sense of immediacy and verisimilitude not seen in his earlier efforts. And more crucially, Blanchett and Mara give captivating performances that illuminate a bygone age of femininity, as well as oppression since their romance is so forbidden by all those around them. An honest story emerges to reveal the resilience of the heart in the face of change.
‘Mustang’ is a stunning debut feature by Deniz Gamze ErgŸven about five sisters in rural Turkey. Both a playful portrait of sisterhood and a powerful examination of burgeoning feminism, the film follows five sisters growing up in a conservative family in a small Turkish village, where they rebel against overbearing treatment by their aunt and grandmother more concerned with perception and tradition than allowing the girls their physical and emotional freedom. Gorgeously filmed, Mustang weighs a dream vision of girlhood against the much harsher reality of what it means to be a woman in a restrictive culture.
‘The Women’s Balcony’ is an amusing, heartfelt Israeli film about a group of women raising money to rebuild their synagogue’s women’s balcony after it collapses - and challenging their new rabbi’s strict beliefs on gender roles. Directed by Emil Ben-Shimon, ‘The Women’s Balcony’ is an agreeable, crowd-pleasing film but beneath its gentle, comic exterior is a serious look at social and religious tensions. ‘The Women’s Balcony’ is an equally hilarious and infuriating look at how patriarchies attempt to assert themselves and how terrified men often get when women stand up for themselves.
‘Certain Women’ is about women’s fraught, potent relationships to their environments. The film demonstrates writer-director Kelly Reichardt’s gift for telling the stories of ordinary people with uncommon empathy and skill. Kelly’s less-is-so-much-more approach is again on display beautifully in ‘Certain Women’, a series of three barely interconnected stories in which the empty spaces are pregnant with meaning and resonance. ‘Certain Women’ is unabashedly feminist, telling stories of both hope and devastation, ones which swerve between surprising optimism and depressing reality with the same deft power.
The movie is about a group of college friends from the ‘90s who called themselves ‘The Flossy Posse’ reuniting 20 years later for a free trip to New Orleans courtesy of their Queen Bee (Regina Hall) who the movie tells us is the second coming of Oprah Winfrey; she’s a self-help icon and about to become very rich by signing a new TV show deal. Along for the ride are her estranged bestie (Queen Latifah, a gossip blogger), the uptight ‘mom’ of the group (Jada Pinkett Smith who steps up her comic game here), and the randy party girl (Tiffany Haddish).
Throughout the film, an emphasis is placed on black femininity and friendships as something enjoyable, and also something critical. These four women have an impenetrable bond that is endearing and satisfying to watch. This movie is rooted in the complexities and power of female friendships!
Directed by Steve McQueen, ‘Widows’ is a smart, sharp thriller. Set in contemporary Chicago, amid a time of turmoil, four women with nothing in common except a debt left behind by their dead husbands’ criminal activities, take fate into their own hands, and conspire to forge a future on their own terms. ‘Widows’ gives its women the authority to effectively overturn those tables for their own monetary benefit and survival. It’s a story that doesn’t seek to redeem any of its characters, but rather present each as a necessary commodity for the other in a corrupt world.
‘The Farewell’ is an unexpectedly and deliciously funny movie, directed by Lulu Wang. It deftly captures complicated family dynamics with a poignant, well-acted drama that marries cultural specificity with universally relatable themes. The film follows a Chinese family who, when they discover their beloved Grandmother has only a short while left to live, decide to keep her in the dark and schedule an impromptu wedding to gather before she passes.
‘The Farewell’ tackles how to process grief and guilt while delivering hearty laughs. Most touching is the film’s boundless love shared between grandmother and granddaughter as Billi tries to find her place in the world.
