To honor our female readers, we’ve rounded up some of our favourite works of cinema centering around women!
The Hours
Directed by Stephen Daldry (the man behind Billy Elliot and The Reader), this movie is based on Michael Cunningham’s novel of the same title, and revolves around three very different women seperated by time, but connected to each other by their battles of freedom, responsibility and identity. The Hours meditates on mental illness, sexuality, and the inner lives of women through a feminist pioneer, a lost housewife, and a rebellious free woman.
The Descent
British horror-maestro Neil Marshall’s most daring film focuses on a group of young women who venture upon a dangerous caving expedition of a cave system nobody knows anything about. The friends quickly become trapped, and they soon find themselves hunted by flesh-eating, blind humanoids. One of the few feminist-approved horror movies, The Descent is a must see, regardless of your sex.
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Considered by many as a feminist icon, Joan of Arc, the French heroine of the Hundred Year’s War, has inspired countless filmmakers in the past century, including Cecile B. DeMille, Robert Bresson and Otto Preminger. Luc Besson’s rendition of the virgin of Orléans isn’t the most historically accurate or cinematically excellent version of the story, but at least it’s stunning to look at and boasts a phenomenal cast.
When Harry met Sally…
Written by Nora Ephron (You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle) and directed by Academy Award winner Rob Reiner, this touching and sharply written movie set a new standard for all subsequent romantic comedies. The film asks us the age-old question: does sex make it impossible for men and women to be true friends? We see the dilemma in action through the decade-long relationship between Harry and Sally, played by the brilliant duo of Billy Chrystal and Meg Ryan.
Scenes from a Marriage
Totaling around 5 hours, Ingmar Bergman’s acclaimed mini-series documents ten years of Marianne and Johan’s relationship: we meet them after having been married happily for ten years, and starting from there, we embark with them on an emotional rollercoaster-ride through the next ten years of their life, during which they contemplate divorce, extramarital affairs, their lack of joy from sex, and the imperfection of their love.