7 Unique Films Celebrating Strong Women: A Must-Watch List

We’re thrilled to present a unique collection of films that offer a fresh perspective on female characters. These movies explore a range of themes, from extraordinary feats to everyday lives, showcasing women’s resilience, heroism, simple joys, and captivating allure. Through these stories, you’ll see the world through the lens of true femininity and selflessness, inspiring confidence and the pursuit of personal happiness.

1. 9 to 5 (1980)

The classic comedy “9 to 5” offers a glimpse into the harsh reality of women’s work lives. The story revolves around three desperate secretaries, Judy, Doralee, and Violet, who are fed up with workplace injustice. While women shoulder the responsibility of maintaining a well-oiled work environment, men often behave inappropriately yet remain in positions of power.

This film is perfect for those interested in workplace equality. It demonstrates how three clever feminists manage to restore natural order and put their pompous boss in his place. To achieve their goal, the heroines stage their boss’s death (though in reality, they only hold him under house arrest) while they restore justice in the office.

“9 to 5” is an excellent choice for a movie night with friends or a solo viewing. It captures the spirit of women’s confidence in the 80s and highlights real issues that persist in modern society.

2. The Hours (2002)

This magnificent drama explores the complex and intertwined lives of three women whose fates are connected through the pages of Virginia Woolf’s book. The film’s heroines live in different time periods: Virginia Woolf during the writing of “Mrs. Dalloway,” her most challenging time when she contemplated suicide; Laura Brown, a young wife and mother seemingly living a fairy tale; and Clarissa Vaughan, a modern woman planning a party for her friend dying of AIDS. All three share a sense of lost youth and happiness that will never return.

The people around them refuse to listen, fail to understand, and only criticize and dictate their place. This film beautifully illustrates women’s devotion and self-sacrifice, often perceived as weakness and dependency. Their struggles captivate the audience with their rawness and sincerity. The true fight for happiness and the right to one’s voice and choice is the essence of this movie. Apart from its deep feminist subtext, you’ll enjoy outstanding performances by actresses renowned for portraying strong women: Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep.

3. The Last Mistress (2007)

“The Last Mistress” is a French film based on the eponymous book, featuring a fatal woman as its main character. Vellini, played by the incomparable Asia Argento, is an exotic element in the vulgar and hypocritical high society of France. Her beauty and questionable reputation cause a genuine scandal not only in society but also in people’s hearts. As the mistress of a young nobleman, Ryno de Marigny, who decides to settle down, Vellini manipulates him, making him return to her love time and again over the years.

However, “The Last Mistress” is not just a tale of a person destroying destinies. It brilliantly portrays an infernal woman whose love is a sweet torment. Vellini is passionate and daring, yet sincere and natural in matters of love. Her appearance on screen is a manifesto of feminism, femininity, sexuality, and self-sacrifice. Vellini’s character is like flamenco, combining the most fatal female traits: free thinking, the art of seduction, pure love, and natural sexuality.

This film is for those who are not afraid of the beauty of the female body, with all its imperfections and bliss, as well as the pain of an inconsolable heart and fate that evokes empathy.

4. Drowning by Numbers (1988)

This absurdist surreal comedy about three women with the same name, who happen to be relatives, will captivate even the most discerning viewer with its spirit of spontaneity and existential femininity.

The plot unfolds from the trivial desire of three bored women to punish their husbands for their neglect and lack of romance. However, they choose the most elaborate revenge. Each woman decides to drown her husband and fears no justice, as the coroner of their small town is in love with all three and must keep their terrible secret.

The events develop unusually, but the film presents a unique approach to life’s problems, unbreakable willpower, and intricate sexuality. The skill with which the three criminals manipulate the “blind” men in high societal positions is astonishing. This movie raises the issue of social equality and exposes the absurdity of a world where women are mere objects of desire, and men hold the reins of power. This film is a must-watch, as it combines an original plot with an incredible atmosphere of feminism, self-confidence, and an almost Dionysian joy of life that is contagious, captivating, and long-lasting.

5. The Age of Adaline (2015)

This relatively recent fantasy drama is a must-watch for those who haven’t yet seen this undoubtedly worthwhile film. The protagonist, Adaline, is a woman who experiences a strange event that changes her life forever. Due to almost magical circumstances, Adaline does not age and lives eternally. In the modern world, she would be over forty, but she remains young and beautiful.

The heroine enjoys life, spending her time on various pleasures, but one day she faces true loneliness, as all her loved ones have aged, and she cannot share this fate with them.

The film portrays a very strong female character capable of sincere love and self-sacrifice. Adeline desperately seeks her happiness and dreams of giving her entire life to someone, which cannot leave the viewer indifferent. This picture shows the art of living and true romanticism of feelings, family ties, and the importance of friendship. It teaches how to live the time allotted to you and be happy despite everything.

6. Coco Before Chanel (2009)

“Coco Before Chanel” is a biographical film telling the story of the founder of the Chanel fashion house before her name became world-renowned. Alongside the incomparable Audrey Tautou in the lead role, the viewer travels through the personal history of this great woman, reflecting on the problems of her childhood, empathizing with her love experiences, and, most importantly, seeing how one fragile woman achieved what the strong men of her time did not dare to dream.

The film showcases the most touching episodes from the biography of Gabrielle Chanel: her relationship with her father, the dominance of influential men, her first success, a broken heart, and how she managed to give women freedom.

This film is an excellent example of healthy feminism, as the figure of Coco Chanel is undoubtedly a source of inspiration for all strong women. Her story shows how love for men could liberate women and reveal their true essence.

7. Suffragette (2015)

Perhaps the most serious film among those listed is “Suffragette.” The story of the emergence of the women’s movement for rights and freedoms in 19th-century England depicts the fates of several heroines suffering from the injustice of the “male” world and fighting for their individuality.

This film touches the soul with its naturalism and the inner world of each woman. The excellent cast, including Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, and others, brings these characters to life.