entertainement
What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day with your girlfriends than a line-up of inspiring films or series that feature the best portrayals of powerful women? We’ve compiled a list of inspiring movies and mini-series that celebrate the passion and resilience of independent women. Whether you’re after a feel-good piece, a classic tearjerker, an action packed movie or an empowering story that can teach some important lessons, there’s something to suit everyone’s tastes…
Natasha Romanoff aka Black Widow has been a strong female character amid MCU’s horde of male heroes. For fans of Avengers or superhero movies in general, this movie was a long awaited one. Unlike most origin stories, the pace of this movie is set differently. While it delves into the Romanoff’s past as a KGB spy and how she was turned into one, the plot of the movie is set after the events of Avengers: Civil War and before the events of Avengers: Infinity War.
Natasha confronts the darker parts of her ledger when a dangerous conspiracy with ties to her past arises. Pursued by a force that will stop at nothing to bring her down, Natasha must deal with her history as a spy and the broken relationships left in her wake long before she became an Avenger. While this is an action-packed thriller that echoes the tone of a ’70s spy movie, the movie is about love, family and resilience.
The 2019 version of the film is far from the only book-to-movie adaptation of Little Women. However, Director Greta Gerwig’s version of the movie took the March sisters’ story and so elegantly made it feel relevant. A cosy, polished and masterly cinematic rendering of Louisa May Alcott’s immortal 19th-century novel (originally published in two parts in 1868 and 1869), Little Women solidifies Gerwig’s one-of-a-kind voice on the page and behind the camera, opening up the classic in a blissful and innovative screen adaptation that feels ageless and vastly of today.
The iconic story follows the March sisters - Jo, Meg, Beth, and Amy - as they grow up with their mother Marmee in Concord, Massachusetts. While their father is off fighting in the Civil War, the four girls are coming of age in a world where young women are meant to grow up, get married, and raise children. But Jo, who wants to be a writer, rejects the idea that her life should centre around finding a man to marry. While Meg starts a family, Beth suffers from scarlet fever, and Amy goes to art school in Paris, Jo turns down a proposal from her dearest friend, Laurie, and instead pursues a writing career in New York City. There she meets another man, Professor Bhaer, who challenges her intellectually. You’ll find yourself hooked to the story!
Adapted from Stephanie Land’s bestselling 2019 memoir, it follows a young mother, Alex (Margaret Qualley), as she scrabbles to save herself and her daughter, Maddy, two, from a crushing cycle of domestic abuse. Homeless and alone, Alex is tossed into the choppy waters of impenetrable bureaucracy. She can’t access subsidised childcare if she doesn’t have a job, but she can’t get a job without childcare. She doesn’t believe she belongs at a shelter because the abuse was emotional not physical. She gets a cleaning job, but can only work limited hours to qualify for government assistance. She must pick her battles, reserving energy for those that matter most. The only thing more overwhelming than her circumstances is the immense shame she feels. Maid’s tender storytelling and excellent performances has viewers intensely invested.
Directed by Theodore Melfi (St. Vincent) and based on the nonfiction book of the same title by Margot Lee Shetterly, the film celebrates individual mettle, but also the way its characters consistently try to lift others up. The movie tells the incredible untold story of Katherine Jonson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) – brilliant African-American women working at NASA who served as the brains behind the launch into orbit of astronaut John Glenn, a stunning achievement that turned around the space race. The visionary trio crossed all gender and racial line and inspired generations.
What sets this movie apart from other ones made about brilliant scientific or mathematical minds is that it doesn’t all lean in some way on the idea of the inaccessible genius. It’s a story of struggle and willpower, but not of individual glory. It’s a story of teamwork and compassion, and most of all brilliant women!
This is a treat for all fashion lovers. This is an enigmatic and beautiful portrayal of the charisma, rebelliousness and charm of Coco Chanel. Young Coco Chanel (Audrey Tautou) works as a seamstress by day and a cabaret entertainer by night. From a very young age, she stands out; she doesn’t want to be ordinary in any sense no matter what the situations demands of her. Managing to be the centre of attention everywhere she goes, with her candour, audacity and experimental styles, she weaves an unparalleled legacy of class and fashion that is still revered and loved. Directed by Anne Fontaine, there is something very unhurried about the pace of the movie which also gives the actors chance to outshine in their performances. This would definitely be a good watch for the day!
Based on the life of Jane Austen, the movie cleverly weaves fact and fiction to make Austen the heroine of a love story not unlike those in her novels. Anne Hathaway plays Austen, and James McAvoy fills the role of the romantic hero, Tom Lefroy. While the movie is not a biography, certain aspects of the story of Austen and Lefroy are true. The film follows Jane Austen the highly acclaimed writer in English literature, who’s best known for her works including Emma, Pride and Prejudice, and Sense and Sensibility. Born in an impoverished family, Austen is under pressure as her parents expect her to marry a wealthy young man. She rebels, as she believes marriage would lose her autonomy. Becoming Jane is a movie every Janeite will want to see.
Another book-movie-adaptation that deserves a spot on your Netflix binge-watch list is The Zookeeper’s Wife. The time is 1939 and the place is Poland, homeland of Antonina Zabinski (Jessica Chastain) and her husband, Dr Jan Zabinski (Johan Heldenbergh). The Warsaw Zoo flourishes under Jan’s stewardship and Antonina’s care. When their country is invaded by the Nazis, Jan and Antonina are forced to report to the Reich’s newly appointed chief zoologist, Lutz Heck (Daniel Brühl). The Zabinskis covertly begin working with the Resistance and put into action plans to save the lives of hundreds from what has become the Warsaw Ghetto.
Overall, The Zookeeper’s Wife is a fair war drama film. Jessica’s performance was stunning. The plot is something worth seeing about the heroism of Antonina and her husband using their zoo as a safe haven.
A multi-award winner, Erin Brockovich is a biographical drama about a California woman who takes on – and wins – her legal fight against the utility giant Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E). Erin (Julia Roberts) is a woman in a tight spot. Following a car accident in which Erin is not at fault, she pleads with her attorney Ed Masry (Albert Finney) to hire her at his law firm. She stumbles upon some medical records placed in real estate files. She convinces Ed to allow her to investigate, where she discovers a cover-up involving contaminated water in a local community which is causing devastating illnesses among its residents. She brought a small town to its feet and a huge corporation to its knees. Throughout the film, there are many emotions to feel and these are the types of films that stick out the most. This movie is truly ahead of its time, bringing attention to an environmental crime as well as misogynistic views of the ’90s.
