Movies About Gender Inequality

From Tate Taylor, starring Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard
Rated PG-13

The Help is an American period drama film directed by Tate Taylor and released in 2011. It is based on the 2009 novel of the same name by Kathryn Stockett. The film stars Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, and Octavia Spencer, and focuses on the struggles of African American maids in Jackson, Mississippi during the civil rights movement of the early 1960s. The story is told from the perspective of an aspiring writer, Skeeter Phelan, who decides to write a book about the experiences of the maids who work for the white families in her town. Through her interviews with the maids, she discovers the truth behind their plights and their strength and courage in the face of adversity. The film follows Skeeter as she works to publish the book and how it ultimately changes the lives of both the maids and their employers.

From Theodore Melfi, starring Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner
Rated PG

"Hidden Figures" is a 2016 American biographical drama directed by Theodore Melfi. The film follows the story of a team of African-American female mathematicians who served a vital role in NASA during the early years of the U.S. space program. The film stars Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons. The movie centers around three African-American women: Katherine Johnson (Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monáe). These three women have to overcome gender and racial obstacles while working at NASA in the 1960s, and ultimately prove their worth as they help the U.S. space program reach the moon. At the same time, they also have to deal with personal struggles such as raising families and pursuing their dreams. Ultimately, the three women (along with their colleagues) help the United States reach new heights in space and inspire a new generation of female mathematicians. Through their hard work and dedication, they demonstrate the power of courage and perseverance in the face of adversity.

From Mike Leigh, starring Imelda Staunton, Jim Broadbent, Heather Craney, Richard Graham
Rated R

Vera Drake (Imelda Staunton) is a kind-hearted and hardworking middle-aged woman living in London in 1950. For years, she has secretly been providing illegal abortions for desperate women, out of the goodness of her heart. When the authorities discover her activities, she is arrested and put on trial, and her loving family must come to terms with the consequences of her selfless act. The film explores the complex moral, social and legal implications of Vera's actions, and questions the balance between individual rights and social responsibility.

From Jon Avnet, starring Kathy Bates, Jessica Tandy, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker
Rated PG-13

Fried Green Tomatoes is a 1991 drama-comedy directed by Jon Avnet and based on the novel Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg. The film stars Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker and Jessica Tandy. The film tells the story of two women: Evelyn Couch (Bates), a middle-aged, unhappy housewife, and Ninny Threadgoode (Tandy), an elderly woman who tells Evelyn stories of her life in the small town of Whistle Stop, Alabama in the 1930s. Through Ninny's stories, Evelyn learns of the friendship between Ninny's deceased aunt, Idgie Threadgoode (Masterson), and her friend, Ruth Jamison (Parker). The story follows Idgie and Ruth's strong friendship, Idgie's efforts to protect Ruth from her abusive husband, the townspeople's acceptance of the two women's relationship, and their struggles to open a café together. Through these tales, Evelyn finds the strength to stand up to her husband and find happiness in her own life.

From Deniz Gamze Ergüven, starring Günes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Tugba Sunguroglu, Elit Iscan
Rated PG-13

Mustang is a 2015 French-Turkish drama film written and directed by Deniz Gamze Ergüven. It tells the story of five orphaned sisters who live in a remote Turkish village. Growing up in a conservative society, the sisters are subjected to strict rules and regulations imposed by their strict grandmother and Uncle Ezzat. The sisters struggle to maintain their close bond and fight to keep their freedom as they are faced with an arranged marriage. Despite their increasingly limited freedoms, the sisters remain defiant and supportive of each other, determined to find a way to stay together and remain true to themselves. The movie is a powerful story of female solidarity and empowerment set against the backdrop of a traditional village in Turkey. It portrays the struggle of the five young women as they attempt to break free from the oppressive constraints of society and find their own individual paths.

From Kimberly Peirce, starring Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III
Rated R

Boys Don't Cry is a biographical drama directed by Kimberly Peirce and based on the true story of Brandon Teena, a trans man who was raped and murdered in 1993. The film follows Brandon's journey as he moves to a small town in Nebraska, where he falls in love with a young woman and struggles to keep his trans identity a secret. Despite his efforts, his secret eventually comes out and leads to a tragic end. The film stars Hilary Swank as Brandon, Chloë Sevigny as his girlfriend, and Peter Sarsgaard as the man who eventually murders Brandon. Boys Don't Cry is a powerful film about identity, love, and the consequences of prejudice and violence.

From Stephen Daldry, starring Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Rated PG-13

The Hours is a critically acclaimed 2002 drama directed by Stephen Daldry. Based on the novel of the same name by Michael Cunningham, the film stars Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, and Meryl Streep and follows the lives of three women in three very different time periods. In the 1920s Virginia Woolf (Nicole Kidman) is struggling to write her novel Mrs. Dalloway and faces a mental breakdown. In 1951, Laura Brown (Julianne Moore) is a suburban housewife, pregnant with her second child, who struggles to escape from the monotony of her life. In 2001, Clarissa Vaughan (Meryl Streep) is a New Yorker who is both caring for her long-time friend, Richard (Ed Harris), who is dying of AIDS, and preparing a party for her friend, the poet, and author, Vivian Bearing (Emma Thompson). The film explores the intertwining lives of these three women and how their lives are shaped by the choices they make and the lives of the people around them. It is an exploration of time, mortality, and the power of literature to shape life's experience.

From Ridley Scott, starring Susan Sarandon, Geena Davis, Harvey Keitel, Michael Madsen
Rated R

Thelma & Louise is a 1991 film directed by Ridley Scott and starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon. The movie follows two Southern women who, after a series of unfortunate events, go on the run in a 1966 Ford Thunderbird convertible. As the two flee from the law, their friendship deepens, and they develop a fierce loyalty for each other. The movie explores the themes of female empowerment and liberation, as the two women break free from the confines of their lives and embark on a journey of self-discovery. Along the way, they meet a variety of colorful characters and are forced to make difficult choices to ensure their survival. In the end, they realize that they can no longer live within the confines of society and choose to drive off a cliff and into a new freedom.

From Emerald Fennell, starring Carey Mulligan, Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown
Rated R

Promising Young Woman is a 2020 dark comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Emerald Fennell and starring Carey Mulligan. It follows a young woman named Cassie, who, in the wake of a traumatic event, has become jaded and hardened by the world around her. By day, she pretends to be a ditzy party girl, but at night, she takes her revenge on men who take advantage of women. With the help of her best friend, Cassie embarks on a mission to avenge the wrongs done to herself and other women, as well as to gain closure for her own trauma. Along the way, she learns to confront her past and move on with her life.

From Steven Soderbergh, starring Julia Roberts, Albert Finney, David Brisbin, Dawn Didawick
Rated R

From Niki Caro, starring Charlize Theron, Jeremy Renner, Frances McDormand, Thomas Curtis
Rated R

From Sherry Hormann, starring Soraya Omar-Scego, Idriss Abdillahi Houfaneh, Awa Saïd Darar, Roun Daher Aïnan
Rated R

From Mike Mills, starring Annette Bening, Elle Fanning, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup
Rated R

From Alejandro Amenábar, starring Rachel Weisz, Max Minghella, Oscar Isaac, Ashraf Barhom
Rated R

From Larysa Kondracki, starring Rachel Weisz, Monica Bellucci, Vanessa Redgrave, David Strathairn
Rated R

From Mimi Leder, starring Felicity Jones, Armie Hammer, Justin Theroux, Sam Waterston
Rated PG-13

From Will Gluck, starring Emma Stone, Amanda Bynes, Penn Badgley, Dan Byrd
Rated PG-13

From Tim Burton, starring Amy Adams, Christoph Waltz, Danny Huston, Krysten Ritter
Rated PG-13

From Sarah Gavron, starring Carey Mulligan, Anne-Marie Duff, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep
Rated PG-13

From Jay Roach, starring Charlize Theron, Nicole Kidman, Margot Robbie, John Lithgow
Rated R

From Gurinder Chadha, starring Parminder Nagra, Keira Knightley, Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Anupam Kher
Rated PG-13

From Joseph Gordon-Levitt, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Scarlett Johansson, Julianne Moore, Tony Danza
Rated R