Hollywood is a hotbed of the best feminist movies which explore the depth of sexism, womanhood, and what it means to humans.
Although, most times, viewers who don’t look past the surface tend to miss it. What makes a film qualify as a feminist movie?
With those questions in mind, I’ve picked 10 of the best feminist movies you should give your attention to, Flick through and enjoy!.
1. Hidden Figures (2016)
- IMDb Rating: 7.8/10
- Cast: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kristen Dunst, Jim Parsons, Mahershala Ali, Aldis Hodge, Glen Powell
This story shows three African American women in Virginia in the 1960’s who displayed a high level of brilliance as they helped solve problems that aided space missions despite their struggles at home, school, and the workplace.
The movie Hidden Figures is the perfect addition to our list of the best feminist movies because it’s about actual events. These women worked as mathematicians at NASA.
Although their efforts helped America win the “space race,” they were entirely ignored by everyone until recently, something women are no strangers to, especially women of color.
2. Set It Off (1996)
- IMDb Rating: 6.8/10
- Cast: Jada Pinkett, Queen Latifah, Vivica A. Fox, Kimberly Elise, John C. McGinley, Blair Underwood
Set it Off is a classic; it’s one of the best feminist movies today. It is a story of four black women who happen to be friends.
It shows their financial struggles even though they’re working full-time, illustrating the perils of black families living in the projects.
Frankie (Vivica), Cleo (Latifah), T.T (Kimberly), and Stony (Jada) decide to rob a bank and end up robbing several banks and not just the one over some time.
We now follow them through the sequence of events that are the ripple effects of their decisions.
3. Wonder Woman (2017)
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Cast: Gal Gadot, Chris, Robin Wright, Danny Huston, David Thewlis, Connie Nielsen, Elena Anaya.
Wonder Woman (Diana) is a female superhero from DC comics. Diana Prince is an Amazon princess trained for combat by the Amazon warriors and also the daughter of Zeus and Hippolyta.
Steve Trevor, a combat pilot, crashes on Themyscira, the all-female sanctuary created by the gods of Olympus for the Amazons.
Subsequently, Diana joins Him after hearing His story on His journey back to His world to help fight in World War I, which She believes is caused by Ares.
Wonder Woman’s character displays feminine grace, wisdom, and courage, and these are all attributes that make it the perfect addition to our list of the best feminist movies.
4. The First Wives Club (1996)
- IMDb Rating: 6.4/10
- Cast: Bette Midler, Goldie Hawn, Diane Keaton, Maggie Smith, Dan Hedaya, Bronson Pinchot, Marcia Gay Harden, Sarah Jessica Parker, Stephen Collin, Victor Garber, Elizabeth Berkeley, Eileen Heckart, Stockard Channing, Ivana Trump.
Next on our list of the best feminist movies is The First Wives Club. It is a movie based on the 1992 novel of the same title authored by Olivia Goldsmith.
Four friends graduate and lead separate lives until one commits suicide due to her husband’s infidelity. The rest come together for the first time since their graduation for her burial.
The husbands of the three surviving women dump them for younger women after years of marriage. Subsequently, they decide that the men won’t get away scot-free and conspire to get even. Will they successfully get back at their ex-husbands where it hurts?.
Women are encouraged to tell it like it is and learn to stand up for themselves and each other making it a great addition to our list.
5. Moana (2016)
- IMDb Rating: 7.6/10
- Cast: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Rachel House, Temuera Morrison, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger, Alan Tudyk.
This 3D computer-animated film is about a young girl Moana, the daughter of the Chief of the Polynesian village. The ocean had chosen her to find and return the heart of the goddess Te Fiti after the demi-god Maui stole the heart to give humanity the power of creation.
Following Moana on her Journey as She sojourns to find Te Fiti and return her heart so that she can restore balance to the land makes it a great addition to our list of the best feminist movies.
6. Frida (2002)
- IMDb Rating: 7.3/10
- Cast: Salma Hayek, Alfred Molina, Geoffrey Rush, Valeria Golino, Mia Maestro, Rogers Reed, Antonio Banderas, Edward Norton.
Frida is a biography of the artist Frida Kahlo. It shows her less than conventional marriage to her husband, Diego Rivera, her mentor, and how she channeled her pain and frustration into her art.
It is one of the best feminist movies because She was able to thrive in Her field even though men dominated it at the time. Additionally, She refused to conform to traditional expectations of what a woman’s conduct should be.
7. Roma (2018)
- IMDb Rating: 7.7/10
- Cast: Yalitza Aparicio, Marina de Tavira, Fernando Grediaga, Jorge Antio Guerrero, Marco Graf, Daniella Demesa, Diego Cortina, Carlos Peralta, Nancy Garcia, Veronica Garcia.
This movie is a story about two women, Sofia (the employer) and Cleo (the maid), navigating their lives after the men in their lives abandon them to cater to the kids, at a time when there’s a lot of chaos due to Corpus Christi going on at the time. The whole movie is a picture from the director Guarón’s memories.
It shows how women survive and raise their families even when their partners are absent and leaves us with a catchy phrase “We women are always alone.” The story embodies everything one of the best feminist movies should have.
8. Queen of Katwe (2016)
- IMDb Rating: 7.4/10
- Cast: David Oyelowo, Lupita Nyong’o, Madina Nalwanga, Martin Kabanza, Taryn “Kay” Kyaze, Ronald Ssemaganda, Ethan Nazario, Nikita Pearl Waligwa, Edgar Kanyike, Esther Tebandeke, Peter Odeke, Sheebah Karungi, Joanitta Bewulira-Wandera.
In Katwe, Somewhere in Uganda, a 10-year-old girl called Phiona lives in the Slums with her mother and siblings. A chance encounter with Robert Katende at a missionary program changes her life.
She learns how to play chess along with other kids under the man’s guidance and becomes the best player, allowing her to compete internationally at chess tournaments.
Phiona can elevate her family from the Slums and give them a better life with her skill. Queen of Katwe shows how a female can thrive despite her circumstances and teaches girls to be confident, making it a great addition to our list of the best feminist movies.
9. Wolfwalkers (2020)
- IMDb Rating: 8/10
- Cast: Honor Kneafsey, Eva Whittaker, Sean Bean, Simon McBurney, Tommy Tieman, Joe Kenny, John Morton, Maria Doyle Kennedy.
Wolfwalkers is a story about a young Wolf Hunter, Robyn Goodfellowe, and her father. The ruler at the time called them to help eliminate the last wolf pack. Robyn ends up befriending a young girl named Mebh, and she happens to be from a tribe of Wolfwalkers.
A sequence of events could lead to Robyn becoming the thing they seek to destroy. This film is one of the best feminist movies because it shows Robyn and Mebh’s strong will.
10. Mad Max: Fury Road (2015)
- IMDb Rating: 8.1/10
- Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron, Nicholas Hoult, Hugh Keays-Byrne, Rosie Huntington Whiteley, Riley Keough, Zoë Kravitz, Abbey Lee, Courtney Eaton.
The Earth has become a desert wasteland filled with humans struggling to survive. Max Rockatansky is one of the survivors used as a blood bag for Joe’s ( the desert gang leader) purposes.
Furiosa, one of Joe’s lieutenants, uses an opportunity given to run errands to flee along with Joe’s wives. She plans to return to Her birthplace and escape Joe’s clutches for good. A chase ensues when Joe discovers this, and Max gets caught in the middle.
They must work together to escape the desert gang leader. It won’t surprise anyone that this is also considered one of the best feminist movies.
The female characters in the movie refuse to succumb to enslavement, showing strength as they navigate their way in search of freedom.
This list aims to show you some films we believe embody feminist values. Some are more obviously feminine than others.
However, even movies that don’t have obvious feminist undertones emphasize gender roles and other social issues and have deeper meanings beneath their witty plots and banter. All these films are good and have something unique.
