Today is International Women’s Day. Here are some suggested titles to complement the day:
4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days (2007)
Set in Romania in 1987, the film tells the story of a woman seeking an abortion when it was illegal.
Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974)
Ellen Burstyn’s performance in the title role of Martin Scorsese’s 1974 film is still extraordinary in its honesty, complexity, and rawness.
The Blue Light (1932)
German filmmaker Leni Riefenstahl is best known for her Nazi propaganda films The Triumph of the Will and Olympia and that has association has tainted her filmography. But Riefenstahl directed and starred in other work, many of which were impressive in their own right. Her first film was 1932’s The Blue Light.
Daughters of the Dust (1991)
This movie was helmed by Julie Dash and Daughters of the Dust was the first feature film by an African American woman director to receive a theatrical release in the United States.The movie is a portrait of a family in the Gullah community in early twentieth century South Carolina.
The Diary of a Teenage Girl (2015)
One of the best movies of 2015, this film tells the story of a teenager’s sexual awakening amidst the counterculture of the 1970s.The movie is creatively executed and deals frankly with the link between sexuality and identity.
Frida (2002)
The story of artist and activist Frida Kahlo, played by Salma Hayek and directed by Julie Taymor. The style of the movie replicates the aesthetic of Kahlo’s paintings.
Girlhood (2015)
A French film from Céline Sciamma, Girlhood tells the story of a black teenager who joins a clique of rowdy teenage girls. The movie has some impressive performances. especially by Karidja Touré in the lead role.
In a World (2013)
Written, directed, and starring Lake Bell, In a World is a show business comedy about a woman attempting to make it in the field of voice-over acting and competing to be the voice of a major movie trailer.
Stories We Tell (2013)
Filmmaker Sarah Polley’s documentary about her family is a complex piece of work in which she discovers secrets about her mother and father and ultimately reveals something about how and why we tell stories.
Suffragette (2015)
This film is a drama of women fighting for the right to vote in early twentieth century Britain. The film captures the danger and violence faced by the activists.