Movies to Watch During Women’s History Month
Here are some movies to watch during Women’s History Month or whenever you want. All of these films were directed by women, except for Girl. March is a month to celebrate women’s achievements and serves as a reminder of how women struggled (and are still struggling) against discrimination throughout history. For Women’s History Month, I thought of sharing a list of movies with a diverse range of female main characters to celebrate women! And to all the men who did not wish a happy international women’s day to the women around them, big side eye…
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Genre – Comedy/Romance; directed by Gurinder Chadha
Jesminder “Jess” Bhamra is infatuated with football but her parents, who are occupied with her sister’s wedding, forbid her to play. Her dream to play soccer professionally like her hero David Beckham goes against her family’s values. Her parents eventually reveal that their intentions are more about protecting her than holding her back.
D.E.B.S. (2004)
Genre – Comedy/Action; directed by Angela Robinson
A secret test determining aptitude for espionage is embedded in the SAT (Scholastic Aptitude Test). To be recruited into D.E.B.S. (Discipline, Energy, Beauty, Strength), a clandestine paramilitary academy, women need to score highly on the test. This movie features four D.E.B.S., Max, Janet, Dominique, and Amy, who are tasked by the heads of D.E.B.S. to surveil Lucy Diamond who is an infamous super criminal.
The Farewell (2019)
Genre – Drama/Comedy; directed by Lulu Wang
Aspiring Chinese-American writer Billi has a close relationship with her grandmother, Nai Nai. She discovers from her parents that her grandmother has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer and only has a few months left to live. Her family does everything to keep the diagnosis a secret from Nai Nai herself.
The Woman King (2022)
Genre – Action/Drama; directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood
This is a historical action drama film about the Agojie, the all-female warrior unit that protected the West African kingdom of Dahomey during the 17th to 19th centuries. General Nanisca, leader of the Agojie, liberates Dahomean women who were abducted by slavers from the Oyo Empire.
Little Women (2019)
Genre – Romance/Drama; directed by Greta Gerwig
This coming-of-age period drama film features Jo March who goes to Mr. Dashwood in hopes of getting her story published. We follow her life and the lives of her sisters, Amy, Beth, and Meg.
Girl (2018)
Genre – Drama/Teen movie; directed by Lukas Dhont
Lara Verghaeghen is a fifteen year old transgender girl who dreams of becoming a professional ballerina. She moves to Antwerp with her father and younger brother to attend a prestigious ballet school in Belgium. During this transitional time, Lara opens up to her doctors about gender dysphoria and is consistently seeing a psychiatrist.
By: Sophia Pan
