52 Films by Women

Ida Lupino, star of many similar films herself (including alongside Bogart in They Drive by Night and High Sierra) directs this tense thriller with flair. Two men tell their wives they're going on a fishing trip but end up in Mexico looking for, well, we're not sure what exactly, but 'dames' is one accusation thrown at them by their vicious captor. For all the suggestions of philandering they turn out to be thoroughly decent guys who are subjected to all kinds of indignities but manage to hold on to their cool until the situation is resolved. In one touching scene one of the men shows tenderness toward a little Mexican child urging her, 'Via con Dios little one.' Essentially a noir set mostly in the deserts of Mexico it treats the Mexican characters with respect with lots of Spanish dialogue without condescending translations. There is not a single woman character but Lupino manages to capture the American male in crisis in a skilful and attention-holding manner.

Directed by Kathryn Bigelow, this is the story of Maya, a (fictional) woman (played very well by Jessica Chastain) behind the CIA mission to locate and kill Osama Bin Laden. The film proves once again (after The Hurt Locker) that Bigelow can get inside the masculine world of the military. The torture scenes are difficult to sit through and show the efforts to which the US would go to apprehend the man they considered responsible for 9/11. At times it runs like a long episode of Homeland (but better). We gradually see Maya become more insensitive to the pain of those she interrogates and hardened to the realities of the world she inhabits. In the end, however, her persistence pays off and they capture their target in Bin Laden's Pakistani hideout. The film deserves its critical praise but ultimately it offers a bleak resignation to the violent world created by the war on terror.

Directed by Liz Garbus. Nina Simone, civil rights activist and high priestess of soul.

Directed by Debra Granik. Brilliant country noir in which Ree must navigate a world of violent men to find her father.

Directed by Jocelyn Moorhouse. A persecuted returnee takes revenge on a town full of despicable people.

Directed by Nicole Kassell. A pedophile struggles not to reoffend in a film that avoids easy answers.

Directed by Lone Scherfig. A school girl in early 60s London, betrayed by a married man, learns wisdom.

Directed by Kelly Reichardt. A small group of families on the Oregon Trail in 1845 must survive unknown threats in their search for water and the west. Slow and meditative, the tiny human figures standing out in sharp relief against the massive landscape, this beautiful film is shot in 4:3 ratio, not widescreen. This is a slow burn and has no real resolution. Don't expect three acts, pitched battles with 'Indians' or a hero's journey, but this is a powerful observational piece that tells an authentic story of the struggle to hold onto hope in a harsh and unforgiving country.

One woman's terrorist is another woman's freedom fighter. An important film for the story it tells but something of a disappointment as a piece of cinema. The plot is a little formulaic and the cameo from Meryl Steep as Emily Pankhurst is all too brief. Mulligan puts in a good performance as the working girl who sacrifices eveything for the cause.

Not even two strong female leads can save this rather formulaic thriller. It has the feel of something Joel Schumacher might have made in the naughties. Not bad at all, just not outstanding.

Stylish Iranian feminist vampire film in which the girl who walks home alone at night is not a victim but a vampire looking for victims. She is after more than blood however, as she engages in a crusade against the evil that men do.

A workaholic startup entrepreneur finds a soul mate and mentor through a 'seniors' internship. It's corn but its pretty good corn.

A great performance by Lindsay Burge about a teacher in a Texas high school whose life spins out of control after she has an affair with a student.

A 15 year old working class girl on an Essex housing estate gets involved with her mother's new boyfriend with near tragic results. This urban drama is relentlessly bleak, until very near the end when some hope of escape is glimpsed. When this hurt and angry family say 'I hate you' they really mean 'I love you' but boy does it takes a long time to get even there.

When Johnny Utah jumps out of that plane you know you've reached action movie heaven.

OK I admit I laughed a few times but this is the kind of movie high schools bullies who never grew up might make.

Pitch black comedy about a New York narcissist whose lifestyle of empty decadence is matched by a complete loss of identity as he spirals into a mad killing spree. Also he has very bad taste in music.

A teenage girl (played by Abbie Cornish) runs away from her home in Canberra and ends up in Jindabyne where she starts a relationship with a troubled local (Sam Worthington). Both leads put in great performances as young people trying to make sense of the emotional distance all around them.

A white woman struggles to keep her coffee plantation open in a war-torn African country where the threats are not only external but within her own family and within herself.

This comedy has its heart in the right place as thirteen year old Josh finds that the adult world is no replacement for the innocence of youth. Tom Hanks shows all the natural talent that will go on to make him an A-list Hollywood star. The film was a huge success and the first film directed by a woman (Penny Marshall) to earn over $100,000,00.

Biopic of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo focusing on her tempestuous relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera as well as her struggle with a pain-racked body. Out of her physical and personal pain as well as her passion for life came her magnificent art. Often described as surrealist, she rejected that particular label for her work. Defying categories her art captured not only her own personal struggles but was a celebration of Indigenous Mexican folk art and a powerful feminist expression.

Elvis meet Nixon. That's about it.

DC is onto a winner with Wonder Woman. With a 94% approval rate from critics on Rotten Tomatoes it seems to be bucking the trend of DC producing movies that tank with the critics (and a good number of fans as well). Fans of the source material have good reason to be happy with this because it's overall a very faithful screen rendition of the character (though for reasons unclear to me a WWII setting has been replaced by a WWI setting). Of course there will always be haters who seem to think that if they criticise the way their favourite character is handled it will show how much of an über fan they are. Memo: it doesn't. It just makes you seem small minded and petty.

Relatively unknown Israeli actor Gal Gadot is perfect as Diana Prince (thank the Themysciran gods that Megan Gale was dropped!). Diana is the personification of beauty and grace and Gadot has a strong grasp on the character that will become definitive for some time to come. Wonder Woman was far and away the best thing about the Batman v Superman movie and will likely also dominate the upcoming Justice League film.

The film definitely has a welcome feminist message as Diana's visit to Patriarch's World to defeat Ares the God of War, highlights the prevailing sexism of the Edwardian setting (and by extension every time period) where men have oppressed women and tried to run the world without the contribution of 51% of its population. However it disappointed on this score to some degree by falling into a fairly standard romantic love story between Diana and Steve Trevor (played well by Chris Pine). Overall though there is no doubt in my mind that a woman director (Patty Jenkins) has made a difference here and that we need more superhero films helmed by women. Of course one could argue that the love story is simply part of faithfulness to the source material.


The film looks terrific. It begins at the Louvre with its blending of ancient and modern architecture perfectly signalling the blending of two worlds that lies at the heart of the film. The world of Themyscira is a visual delight as is the animated sequence recapping its mythological history. The fight scenes are beautifully choreographed with the slo-mo effects resembling motion comic panels and one iconic visual image after another. The first fight scene where the Amazon warriors protect their hidden world from an invading army is an adrenaline-filled fun ride as is Wonder Woman's first appearance in costume going over the top of the trenches in the Western Front.


The biggest weakness of the film is the numerous similarities in plot to 'Captain America: The First Avenger.' It would involve spoilers to enumerate them all but I could name five or six virtually identical plot points. I don't know why someone at DC didn't twig to these similarities. Also, we really don't need a climactic CGI-laden final battle scene with the super villain. It's an overworked trope of the genre. We really would be fine with more character and story development instead.


A message of grace lies at the heart of the film. When Ares points out the evil in humanity and that people don't deserve the world the gods have created for them, Diana concedes that while the description of humanity is accurate, it's not about 'deserving' so much as what you believe and that she believes in love. It's a solid message of grace and it's what separates this film from the other DC offerings. It has a compassionate heart unlike the darker, more serious 'vengeance' theme of BvS.


By no means a perfect film, Wonder Woman comes pretty close and refreshes the genre providing quiet hope that it might herald a brighter future for DC movies.

A bit of a slow burner, Jasper Jones suffers a little from slow pacing which isn't helped by the fact that the mystery with which the film begins is not developed in any way until the final act. We aren't given any clues or red herrings or leads to follow, and then everything is simply explained at the end. It's an entertaining enough period piece (set in 1969), a country-town drama seen from a young boy's perspective, but not a standout film for me.