These Feminist Movies Are Sending A Message This Summer
Over the past several years, there has been a rise in movies and television that promote girl power and feminism. This directly relates to what is happening in the world at large with women getting a chance to speak their minds and raise their voices on a variety of important topics. While feminist movies have existed for a while, these flicks are captivating audiences in theaters this summer.
1. The Incredibles 2
The Incredibles 2 was released on June 15, 2018, and has taken the world by storm. Like the first movie, it talks about the Incredibles, a family of superheroes. However, unlike the first movie, the second installment features Helen, voiced by Holly Hunter, in the spotlight. Mr. Incredible, voiced by Craig Nelson, is left home to take care of the children. Many families now have stay-at-home dads, but this dynamic rarely plays out in big-time movies.
2. Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again
While most movies that are released as sequels pick up where the last movie picks up, Mamma Mia: Here We Go Again does so much more. It picks up with Sophie’s pregnancy, but she also explores her mother’s past. Sophie’s relationship with Sky, the father of the child, has been rocky. She has been running her mother’s villa. Sophie finds out about her mother’s past, including how she raised Sophie without a husband or a mother to help her. This shows how powerful women are, even on their own.
3. Ocean’s 8
Most heist movies focus on male-dominated groups. Ocean’s 8 features a heist group that is entirely female, showing that women can be as strong as men and can succeed in industries that are characteristically for men. Debbie Ocean, played by Sandra Bullock, has been devising her biggest heist for years. The plan is to steal the Toussaint, a $150 million necklace, from the Met Gala for her best friend to wear to the Met Gala.
4. Book Club
This book club deals with a strong group of women with varying dealings with men. After being widowed after a 40-year marriage, Diane (played by Diane Keating) is living life, Vivian (portrayed by Jane Fonda) is enjoying a life of men without limitations, Sharon (played by Candice Bergin) is still dealing with her divorce after decades, and Carol’s (Mary Steenburgen) marriage is failing after over three decades. The ladies’ lives get twisted and they make wild life choices upon reading “50 Shades of Grey.”
5. Never Going Back
Many people criticize movies and television shows for not showing enough female friendships that support and lift other women up. Not these feminist movies! In Never Going Back, Angela (Maia Mitchell) and Jessie (Camila Morrone) are changing this. They are taking action on their dreams of leaving their waitressing jobs in Dallas, even if it means only running away to the nearby town of Galveston. Along the way, they create wild schemes to get some quick money.
6. Support the Girls
Too often, women are pitted against each other in life in general, but especially when it comes to getting a job. In Support the Girls, the manager of a “sports bar with curves” supports her female employees and encourages them to support each other. She is willing to stand up for them if anyone does or says anything disrespectful and she encourages her employees to act in ways that make them respectable to others.
7. Boundaries
Being a single mother is tough, especially if the father does nothing to help out. Confronting the father in these situations is hard, especially if you are not in a position for legal action. In Boundaries, Laura is taking a trip from Texas to California with her son Henry and her father Jack. While her father uses the trip to sell marijuana, Laura seizes the opportunity to confront Leonard, her ex-husband.
What are your all time favorite feminist movies? Put them in the comments below!
