Which movies would y’all like to watch during our social events?
A Powerful Noise - (2008) Three women fight poverty, discrimination and deeply entrenched sexism in this documentary that shows how even the most powerless people can demand change. HIV-positive Hanh created a Vietnamese support group for other victims of the disease. Nada, a working mother and war refugee, formed a women’s association to promote peace and economic development in Bosnia, and Jacqueline rallies against labor abuses and exploitation in Mali. (Documentary)
America the Beautiful - (2007) Director Darryl Roberts’ provocative documentary examines America’s fixation with outward appearance and the unrealistic standards of beauty dictated to the public by the media, pop culture and the fashion industry. Featuring interviews with fashion experts, media personalities and celebrities such as Mena Suvari and Aisha Tyler, the film looks at everything from plastic surgery’s growing popularity to widespread concerns about eating disorders.
Born into Flames - (1983) Imagine an America in which 10 years after a socialist revolution, the ladies decide to take charge. That’s exactly what happens in this sci-fi allegory. When the leader of a lesbian separatist group dies in jail, her death spurs an uprising that turns the country upside down. Part fantasy, part comedy and part serious social commentary, this new age chick flick has it all: a female DJ who narrates the action, a feminist rock soundtrack and more.
Damaged Care -In this true David-and-Goliath story from Showtime, Linda Peeno (Laura Dern) is a doctor who watches helplessly as her colleagues provide inadequate medical treatment in an effort to toe the line with managed care companies. But Peeno can’t, and won’t, compromise her patients, so she fights back against the behemoths. It won’t be easy, though: The louder she blows the whistle, the more complicated her life becomes.
DreamWorlds 3 - examines the stories contemporary music videos tell about girls and women, and encourages viewers to consider how these narratives shape individual and cultural attitudes about sexuality. Illustrated with hundreds of up-to-date images, Dreamworlds 3 offers a unique and powerful tool for understanding both the continuing influence of music videos and how pop culture more generally filters the identities of young men and women through a dangerously narrow set of myths about sexuality and gender. In doing so, it inspires viewers to reflect critically on images that they might otherwise take for granted.
If These Walls Could Talk -A house holds the stories of three women — and a glimpse at the evolution of American abortion rights. A 1950s widow (Demi Moore) seeks an illegal abortion after a one-night stand. A 1970s mother of four (Sissy Spacek) must choose between having a child and starting a career. And in the 1990s, a student (Anne Heche) clashes with anti-abortion activists en route to seek an abortion from her doctor (Cher). Cher co-directs with Nancy Savoca.
Iron Jawed Angels -(2004) From 1912 to 1920, a group of fiery young suffragettes led by Alice Paul (Hilary Swank) and Lucy Burns (Frances O’Connor) band together to wheedle the United States into adapting a Constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. Along the way, they incur the wrath of President Woodrow Wilson (Bob Gunton) and anger other suffragette leaders (Anjelica Huston and Lois Smith). Directed by Katja von Garnier.
Itty Bitty Titty Committee - (2007) Set in Los Angeles, this sardonic indie comedy helmed by Jamie Babbit follows the exploits of Anna (Melonie Diaz), a lesbian and plastic surgeon’s receptionist who embarks on a wild ride when she joins a cadre of ultraradical feminists. But things get complicated when she falls in love with the group’s leader (Nicole Vicius), who’s already involved with someone (Melanie Mayron). Carly Pope and Lauren Mollica also star.
Mona Lisa Smile -At Wellesley College in 1953, the all-female student population constitutes the best and the brightest, yet they’re still measured by how well they marry until the arrival of professor Katherine Watson (Julia Roberts) threatens to tip the status quo. Watson’s teaching not only raises the ire of many administrators but also a few of the students (including Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles and Maggie Gyllenhaal) she dares to inspire.
Norma Rae - (1979) In an Oscar-winning performance, Sally Field is unforgettable as Norma Rae, the Southern millworker who revolutionizes a small town and discovers a power in herself she never knew she had. Under the guidance of a New York unionizer (Ron Leibman) and with increasing courage and determination, Norma Rae organizes her fellow factory workers to fight for better conditions and wages. Based on a true story.
North Country - (2005)Based on an inspiring real-life event that took place in the 1970s, North Country stars Charlize Theron in another low-glamour but high-impact role as Josey Aimes, one of only a handful of women working in the Minnesota iron mines. Forced to labor under sexist conditions, she and her female colleagues decide to stand up against the unrelenting harassment from their male counterparts. Frances McDormand, Sissy Spacek and Woody Harrelson co-star.
Not Yet Rain - A short film by Emmy award-winning filmmaker Lisa Russell, produced in association with Ipas, explores abortion in Ethiopia through the voices of women who have faced the challenge of finding safe care. Through their stories, we see the important role that safe abortion care plays in the overall health of women and their families.
Sophie Scholl - the Final Days - Arrested for participating in the White Rose resistance movement, anti-Nazi activist Sophie Scholl (Julia Jentsch) is subjected to a highly charged interrogation by the Gestapo, testing her loyalty to her cause, her family and her convictions. Based on true events, director Marc Rothemund’s absorbing Oscar-nominated drama explores maintaining human resolve in the face of intense pressure from a system determined to silence whistle-blowers.
The Burning Bed - In 1977, after suffering years of physical abuse at the hands of her brutal husband, Mickey (Paul Le Mat), Michigan housewife Francine Hughes (Farrah Fawcett) killed him one night by setting fire to him as he slept. Prosecuted with the utmost vigor of the law, Hughes’s case made legal history. Fawcett received an Emmy nomination (and proved herself a serious actress for the first time) for her role in this acclaimed TV adaptation of a true story.
The Scarlett Letter - In this adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel, Puritan settler Hester Prynne (Demi Moore) is accused of adultery in a Massachusetts settlement in the 1660s. Although she’s attracted to the town’s pastor (Gary Oldman), the two resist temptation … but only a whiff of scandal is enough for the town’s morality police to sentence Prynne to live as an outcast and wear a shameful scarlet A for adultery.
Vera Drake -Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton, who earned an Oscar nomination for her portrayal) spends her days doting on her working-class family. But Vera also has a secret side: Her family and friends don’t know that she visits women and helps them induce miscarriages for their unwanted pregnancies. When the authorities get wind of her activities — then illegal in 1950s England — Vera’s world quickly falls apart, deeply affecting both her and her family.
Very Young Girls - (2007) David Schisgall’s startling documentary captures the heartbreaking stories of underage girls — many as young as 13 — who’ve been forced into prostitution in New York, exposing how pimps use isolation, violence and drugs to keep girls dependent. Many of the girls interviewed take part in GEMS, a shelter and mentoring program founded by activist Rachel Lloyd — once a prostitute herself — that helps them transition out of “the life.”
War Zone - Filmmaker Maggie Hadleigh-West ventures onto city streets and waits for men to harass her. The second they do, similar to Holla Back, she turns her camera on them - video camera, that is. She interviews them on why they feel the need to do such a thing, and bombards them with questions until they get increasingly uncomfortable and sometimes hostile. It’s really fun to watch, because you know that these scumbags will think twice before they harass another woman again. It’s an extremely powerful movie that sheds light on how often street harassment happens, but how little is done about it.
Revolutionary Road
Kramer Vs. Kramer
The Stepford Wives
Movies that should be critically dissected:
Twilight Series
Knocked Up
If anyone knows of any movies that have feminist (or anti-feminist) themes/messages please feel free to add them to this list!
