Written by Tasya
Happy Women’s History Month! For those of you who aren’t aware, March is known as women’s history month in the United States, along with International Women’s Day on March 8th, to celebrate women’s contribution in history and modern society. In honour of all the great females out there, we take a look at nine female directed movies to watch throughout the month of March!
Read on to discover our picks and tell us in the comments below if you enjoy them too!
Marie Antoinette (2006) and The Beguiled (2017)
Directed By Sofia Coppola
In a male-dominated industry, Sofia Coppola managed to break through and become one of the most famous female directors. She has directed eight movies throughout her career, but my personal favourites are Marie Antoinette and The Beguiled, with both films featuring female leads as the main character. Marie Antoinette tells the story of the infamous queen during her time in the French court up until the French revolution, while The Beguiled follows three women at an all girls school and what happened when a civil war soldier asked for asylum there. Both movies have a different tone, the first one is more about humanizing Marie Antoinette, while the other is more dark and intriguing. Both films are interesting and worth the time watching, and in fact, Sofia Coppola became the second woman to win Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival in the festival’s 70-year history.
Lady Bird (2017)
Directed By Greta Gerwig
I haven’t watched this movie yet, but Lady Bird has received quite a lot of buzz since its release in 2017. During the award season, it has received 41 major nominations over the 2018 awards season and won 13 of them. The movie is a coming-of-age story of Christine “Lady Bird” McPherson and her turbulent relationship with her mother.
Wonder Woman (2017)
Directed By Patty Jenkins
Of course we couldn’t miss this record-breaking movie by Patty Jenkins that gave the superhero world a good shake up when it was released in 2017. Not only was it the first superhero movie directed by a woman, it is the first one with a female superhero as the main character. The movie received many overwhelming positive reviews and it became one of the highest-grossing movies of all time. Wonder Woman is not only praised for its female superhero, but also the message of courage and the portrayal of the Amazonian women. There’s a reason why this movie is widely acclaimed, and if you haven’t seen it, you better go watch it now!
The Babadook (2014)
Directed By Jennifer Kent
Who says women can’t direct horror movies? This famous Australian thriller was released in 2014 by Jennifer Kent and received a 98% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The Babadook is a supernatural thriller story about mother and son that were being stalked by the Babadook, a supernatural entity with its iconic top hat. This movie is intriguing and keeps you at the edge of your seat, and at the end, you’ll need to replay the whole movie over in your head to think which part is real and which part wasn’t.
Frozen (2013)
Directed By Jennifer Lee
Yes ladies and gentlemen, this iconic Disney movie is co-directed by a woman, the first one from its lengthy list of movies. Nobody expected the movie to be as popular as it was, although being an animated film, they do tend to take the world by storm, especially the children, seemed unable to let it go (pun intended). There was no way we could escape the image of Frozen and the songs, it’s just everywhere and it’s not without reason! Why? Because this is the first Disney movie where the main character took control of her own destiny without regards to the rules, and certainly, no prince comes to save them.
Suffragette (2015)
Directed By Sarah Gavron
It is only appropriate that the movie about this iconic movement was to be directed by a woman. For those of you who doesn’t know, the suffragette movement happened in the 1920s to fight for women’s rights to vote. This is another movie on this list that I haven’t watched just yet, but I am always fascinated with the movement and recognising the importance of this movement in this month, this is the perfect movie to watch this month.
Shrek (2001)
Directed By Vicky Jenson
Yes, another classic animation co-directed by woman! This beloved green ogre tale was first released in 2001 and yet it remains a favourite to this day. It is a parody of several fairytales and it brings a fun and fresh breath of air at that era. I don’t know about you, but I have so many fond memories of Shrek; it’s so underrated nowadays!
Mamma Mia! (2008)
Directed By Phyllida Lloyd
And finally, a personal favorite of mine and many others. Like it or not, this movie’s setting is so pleasing to the eye, along with catchy songs and amazing relationships all around! Not only do we have an amazing mother-daughter relationship, but the friendship between Sophie, Donna and each of their girlfriends is something to strive for! All the females are so supportive and nice towards each other, it’s heartwarming and fun to watch.
The Hurt Locker by Kathryn Bigelow