Ten films with extraordinary women

It is always a good time to talk about the role of women, so lacking in public presence. I want to talk about their role in the world of cinema, an area that is particularly relevant today. The media impulse of #metoo against sexual harassment, coupled with growing demands for equal pay, are beginning to awaken consciences. But before this feminist subversion, many women left their mark on cinema, in front of or behind the camera, even though their impact remains smaller. The scarcity of successful female film directors is another example of the situation women face in the working world in general, with a glass ceiling that is very difficult to overcome. We can talk about exceptions: Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion, Jodie Foster, Sofia Coppola, Mia Hansen-Løve, and in Spain, Isabel Coixet, Gracia Querejeta or the recent revelation Carla Simón... And that's about it. And I don't know if you know that the first female director on record is the Parisian Alice Guy-Blaché. She began her relationship with the seventh art in 1894, and was a contemporary of the Lumière brothers. Who is remembered today? No need to say more... Throughout the history of cinema, actresses have mainly been relegated to secondary roles as a complement to the male protagonist and often have more to do with roles linked to motherhood or eroticism than with strong characters with their own motivations. Despite everything, if we take a look at the billboard, we can see that some of the films on display are starring women and that female empowerment is on the rise. I wanted to make a selection of films from the last forty years that, in my opinion, project a woman with more character, eager to conquer the world, even though half of these films are directed by men. It's about time these modern women have the role they deserve. Also on the big screen.

1

ALIEN

Ridley Scott (1979)

The series of films starring Sigourney Weaver is the mother of all exceptions. If there are feature films that break the stereotypes of the time (and those of today!) about what a female protagonist should be like,Alientakes all the medals.Why?This fiction dared in 1979 to radically change the female stereotype with a strong, tough, brave, and unforgettable heroine, Lieutenant Ellen Ripley. And in a science fiction movie! Is there a more masculine genre?

2

THELMA & LOUISE

Ridley Scott (1991)

We return to Ridley Scott, a true pioneer. The two protagonists of the film became muses in the nineties for a feminism that wanted to gain importance. Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon swept the box office among blockbusters asTerminator 2The result was transgressive, but there was also no shortage of criticism about the role of women in the film, since one of the protagonists is a victim of rape and because, despite their rebelliousness, both female roles are presented to us with a character that is sometimes weak and a little lunatic, without completely breaking with the stereotypes that have often been associated with women who do not have a man by their side.Why? Thelma and Louise inspired a new batch of Hollywood films in which the female perspective became the main point of view, but it turned out to be aboomephemeral that failed to shake the foundations of the American industry as it should have. We will always remember his cry for freedom in the last scene of the film.

3

THE VIRGIN SUICIDES

Sofia Coppola (1999)

A film directed by and starring women, quite a rarity. Here enters the scene Sofia Coppola, the daughter of one of the best filmmakers of all time, who directs the story of young women prisoners of their strict mother and forced to live a life of abstinence, without colors. Of undeniable beauty, this teenage portrait is at once distressing and painfully precious.Why? At the time, it represented a boost of cinematic freedom and new visual narrative. Coppola's daughter emerged with an adaptation of Jeffrey Eugenides' novel of the same name that brings humor and tenderness in equal measure. Today, many of the conflicts shown have been largely overcome, but the secret of femininity, desire, death... will always be present.

4

SOLAS

Benito Zambrano (1999)

In Zambrano's debut film, there is a vital need to explain the characters of the film through their solitude. It is not a film about losers, but about people who never win. Special mention to Zambrano's SOLAS, in capital letters: María Galiana and Ana Fernández, both won the Goya for best new actress and best supporting actress in 2000.Why? Aloneportrays the vital hopelessness of mother and daughter in a rural town in Andalusia, a world ruled by and for men. At the same time, it also portrays the prevailing masculinity. From extreme machismo, embodied in the misogynistic and ill-mannered truck driver who disclaims responsibility for the protagonist's pregnancy, to sensitive men, who are companions, tender, and friends.

5

BOYS DON'T CRY

Kimberly Pierce (2000)

Based on a true story, it recounts the life of a woman who enters a sexual identity crisis. It earned an Oscar for Hillary Swank, with a role that broke stereotypes. It perfectly narrates the discrimination and rejection towards transsexuals in the early nineties. And which is still relevant today.Why? Kimberly Pierce questioned the topics of masculinity and the internal suffering of a woman who feels like a man and who must do the impossible to accept herself and not feel marginalized. It was a controversial production that delved into the social punishment of alternative sexual identities.

6

VOLVER

Pedro Almodóvar (2006)

One of the best Spanish directors could not be missing from this selection. In 2006, Almodóvar culminated his particular and recurring tribute to women with this comedy of death and feminism in a town in La Mancha, with Penélope Cruz in a state of grace playing the best role of her career. Why? Returnit is a film about family and, specifically, about women and the solidarity with which they face the most serious problems, such as death. It is precisely this connection between life and death that makes it so special. Oh! Don't miss the version of Gardel's tango "Volver" by the great Estrella Morente, which plays a central role in the film.

7

PERSEPOLIS

Marjane Satrapi (2007)

Good stories about women can emerge anywhere, even in a country as repressive for them as Iran. Director Marjane Satrapi surprised in 2007 with an animation gem titledPersepolis. The film is a denunciation of religious fanaticism and the repression against Iranian women by Islamic fundamentalists.Why?The director and protagonist of the story seeks her own freedom and that of her people, and along the way shows us the difficulties of a woman who must go into exile but does not forget her home. She does so, first, through comics, and then, through animated cinema in this delightful adaptation.Persepolisit is a work that portrays the courage of Iranian women, showing a sadly daily reality for Persian women, still forced today to cover their hair with a scarf to be able to go out into the street.

8

CARAMEL

Nadine Labaki (2007)

From the repression in Iran, we move, hand in hand with five women, to the contradictions of Lebanese society, much more open but also lacking equality. Again, it has to be a female director who films and denounces the hypocrisy and falsehood of a patriarchal society.Why? For discovering the intimate use of caramel in Lebanon. And because Labaki's gaze and the spontaneity of the five protagonists subtract dramatism from situations, such as gender violence, which can be very harsh, but which, unfortunately, are typical of everyday life. In addition, the director opts for a very contained narrative, without falling at any time into emotional exhibition.

9

THINGS TO COME

Mia Hansen-Løve (2016)

The Future it is a film in which almost nothing happens, only life. The particular way of shooting of the French director, who in this film features the presence of the excellent Isabelle Huppert, gives us little action, but a lot of character psychology. Almost all of them are women in the midst of an existential crisis.Why?It's a story about the passage of time that permeates your skin until you can't shake it off. In this case, inThe Future, the director's new heroine is a woman forced to discover a new life process she had never faced: freedom. Without a husband, without children, and without a job...

10

ELLE

Paul Verhoeven (2017)

The protagonist of this work, Michelle, is an amoral being. The Dutch director shows a world inhabited by miserable characters in a film that criticizes a society in which women can climb positions, but never reach power. Isabelle Huppert, her again, takes all the spotlight. A unscrupulous, unhappy, and sociopathic woman who punishes those around her, but, at the same time, strong and powerful. Not all of us are Bambi.Why? For overstepping the limits of morality established as social heritage. Verhoeven's film makes it clear that behind every person there are authentic monsters. Michelle is one, and those who accompany her offer one of the most unpleasant portraits of recent times. In short, women can also be incapable of love.