Lady Sybil Vimes Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 What movies do you like that would pass the Bechdal test (for any who haven't heard of this it's any work of fiction that has two women talk to each other about something other than a man, it's surprising how many movies can't pass it) or that you think have otherwise feminist qualities. It doesn't have to be perfect!I'm going to pick Thelma and Louise because it's a classic, it's kick-arse fun and it really understands something about how violence affects women's lives.Also, Steel Magnolias. I love this movie. A lot of it appears to be about men but they're sort of irrelevant. It's about the women, the support they give each other and mother-daughter relationships. I quote it all the time ("it's in the freezes beautifully section of my cookbook. I want to take something that freezes beautifully" and "Don't try to get on my good side. I no longer have one.").Anyone else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou-bags Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 I watched Brazen Hussies recently. About the women’s lib movement in Australia.Uplifting and depressing at the same time.Edited to add- it’s a documentary so cheating a bit sorry.How about The First Wives Club? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Sybil Vimes Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 This one? It looks amazing, I have to go see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucrezia Borgia Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 What movies do you like that would pass the Bechdal test (for any who haven't heard of this it's any work of fiction that has two women talk to each other about something other than a man, it's surprising how many movies can't pass it) or that you think have otherwise feminist qualities. It doesn't have to be perfect!I'm going to pick Thelma and Louise because it's a classic, it's kick-arse fun and it really understands something about how violence affects women's lives.Also, Steel Magnolias. I love this movie. A lot of it appears to be about men but they're sort of irrelevant. It's about the women, the support they give each other and mother-daughter relationships. I quote it all the time ("it's in the freezes beautifully section of my cookbook. I want to take something that freezes beautifully" and "Don't try to get on my good side. I no longer have one.").Anyone else?love Steel Magnolias - so many quotes - the one i like is Ouisa “I’m not crazy, i’ve just been in a very bad mood for 40 years” - i can so relate. and Thelma and Louise would be my other pick, will have to think of others - they’re thin on the ground aren’t they. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou-bags Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 [mention]Lady Sybil Vimes[/mention] YES that's it. It was really very good. I particularly liked how they told story of that time period from multiple perspectives, different women's experiences. Even more so as I never felt like I was being asked to judge any part of the movement/any one approach as wrong or right. It really did not try to sugar coat anything or be all 'rah rah yay women' without also reflecting on the bad too - if that makes sense? It felt like a collection of honest accounts. Go watch it and then we can have a spoiler thread to talk about it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lady Sybil Vimes Posted November 30, 2020 Author Share Posted November 30, 2020 Love Frozen 2. Moana is great as well.9 to 5 is another one that I love - Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Dolly Parton are so good. I think Alien might count as well, women didn't do those kinds of action characters before Sigourney Weaver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 My all time favourite would be the movie adaptation of Alice Walker's The Color Purple. DP and I actually got married to "Miss Celie's Blues" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Haven’t watched either in awhile but they were pretty powerful movies about strong women - Silkwood ( with Meryl Streep & Cher) and Norma Rae (Sally Fields) - that scene when she stands on the table with ‘union ‘ on it was always seared in my memory of how brave I wanted to be in standing up for my fellow workers!! However not sure if they’d pass the test or not. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonMyrtle Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Not a movie, but Star Trek discovery frequently passes the test. And it passes it while being firmly in that male dominated sci fi genre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethlehem Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 A league of their own?Beaches? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Portrait of a Lady on Fire.So good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temperance Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Working Girl - 1988.Interesting how many movies from the70's, 80's and 90's are being mentioned! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bethlehem Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 There’s a bit of debate around this but some consider dirty dancing as feminist. Baby is sexual and confident and ends up being celebrated despite having sex. A character has an abortion but is not condemned for it (some discussion around the fact women were driven to this point of illegal abortions). Basically clementine Ford has a good deep dive on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Tank girl. It's utter fluff spoof like the comic which inspired it but it has feminist themes and passes Bechdal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliwoo Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 I am agreeing with others’ picks.Definitely Thelma and Louise, The Colour Purple, Steel Magnolias and 9 to 5. I would also submit Clueless plus Heathers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maliwoo Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 And also Pride and Prejudice .And include Mean Girls and 10 Things I Hate About You. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Silverstreak Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 I liked Fried Green Tomatoes, that's a lot of fun with some great performances.Oh yes, Working Girl was great! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LunaFreya Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Mansfield Park (novel is also feminist)I Am WomanMulanCaptain MarvelRadiance Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted November 30, 2020 Share Posted November 30, 2020 Portrait of a Lady on Fire.So good. I suppose if you think about it from a strictly passing Bechdal perspective, many films which centre lesbian characters pass it. There's a couple of Aussie contributions on this front: The film adaptation of The Getting of Wisdom Also, the cult film Love and Other Catastrophes if anyone's seen that.Not Aussie but the BBC screen adaptation of Jeanette Winterson's Oranges are Not the Only Fruit. ______________An Australian action movie for the teen market that I'd recommend for those with teen daughters who'd like a role model for that kind of thing is Tomorrow When the War Began. Female lead saves the day, blows up bridges. She's not a perfect Mary Sue either It's pretty scary though. Or more to the point I was scared when I watched it at forty something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Over and out Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Hidden figures is the best feminist movie in existence. I LOVE IT A league of their own?Beaches? I am also a love of A league of their own. Very different, light, but just love it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nom_de_plume Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Straight away The Color Purple and Erin Brokovich came to mind. As far as Disney movies go ... Moana. And another older film, The Joy Luck Club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CallMeAl Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Not actually sure it would pass the Bechdel, but I'd still consider it a feminist movie - "I am not an easy man" - about a male chauvinist who wakes up in a world where the roles are reversed. It was pretty funny given I wasn't sure the original 10 minute skit would translate to a full length movie, but I thought it did. Here's the skit Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoukMouk Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Lots of those that have been mentioned already, and not so sure about the Bechdel test results, butElection with Reese Witherspoon My brilliant careerHidden figuresSuffragette (yes, whitewashed, but still showing a side of the horrendous conditions that women loved under, especially poor women)Oranges are not the only fruit (my mother tried to ban me from watching it when it was first on television. My grandmother taped it on her vcr for me to watch)The Piano. Not really a “feminist” film but certainly interesting and thought provokingThe helpAnd for sheer entertainment, Oceans eight Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 [mention]MoukMouk[/mention] Oh I loved The Piano.Harrowing but pretty real in it's portrayal of sexual assault and the justice system. The Accused - with Jodie Foster playing the survivor who takes her attacker to court. I wouldn't recommend it if in a vulnerable space around these issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LemonMyrtle Posted December 1, 2020 Share Posted December 1, 2020 Working Girl - 1988.Interesting how many movies from the70's, 80's and 90's are being mentioned! Movies have gone backwards as far as feminism and gender neutrality, in my opinion. These days it’s either a girl movie or a boys movie, nothing in between.Mostly because Disney/marvel keep pumping out the same tripe again and again, the same macho super hero crap. Balanced only by the next cheap rom-com.But kids films too have gone backwards. Now, they weren’t perfect, but I always preferred my kids watching the original Mary poppins and Chitty chitty bang bang, even the goonies, because the kids wore play clothes, the girls played what they boys were playing, and the kids were free to be kids. Some strong female leads in there too, and a single dad!These days it’s all friggin fairies, unicorns and rainbows for girls, and police, action hero’s, and supermen for boys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts