40 Great Feminist Movies to Make You Feel Empowered

Women have been lighting up the silver screen for ages (Cleopatra, anyone?), but we’ve only just begun to scratch the surface when it comes to sharing their stories through a proper lens. (Just ask Greta Gerwig, who managed to smash seemingly every box office record on the planet with her feminist take on everyone's favorite Mattel doll.)

After years of viewing movies through a male gaze, Hollywood has seemingly set its sights on the other half, churning out films that delve far more deeply into the lives of great women from the past than ever before. What's more, many of the best feminist films have also been directed by women, ensuring that they'll be relatable to a female audience.

We've compiled a list of the best feminist movies that know no bounds, from the action-packed (Kill Bill, we're looking at you!) to the ultra poignant. Keep reading to find out which empowering titles made the list.

Feminist Action Movies

'Alien' (1979)

Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic Alien was groundbreaking for many reasons, but in large part for its portrayal of Sigourney Weaver as a female action hero—the very first, according to TIME. As Ellen Ripley, a crew member aboard the alien-infested spaceship Nostromo, Weaver single-handedly proved that butt-kicking wasn't just for the boys. The xenomorph doesn't stand a chance against Ripley once she takes control of the mission.

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'Atomic Blonde' (2017)

Speaking of butt-kicking, Charlize Theron spends pretty much all of Atomic Blonde doing just that, and without the gratuitous emotion-filled backstory to justify her inner rage. To quote Theron herself: "[Usually] we need a reason to become a warrior. And I have a problem with that because we really are warriors, and it’s time for us to be shown that way. We don’t need to lose a child or a husband or have some kind of revenge story to become a warrior."

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'Buffy the Vampire Slayer' (1992)

Long before Wonder Woman was kicking some serious war monger tush on the big screen, there was Kristy Swanson as Buffy Summers (not to be confused with Sarah Michelle Gellar as Buffy Summers in the subsequent television show). A spunky high school student who could wield a stake with all the same verve as a pom-pom, Buffy was living proof we could do it all, slaying unsavory creatures of the night in between classes and trips to the mall. If we're being honest, it's also kind of fun to see Ben Affleck, David Arquette, and Luke Perry take a backseat to her wit.

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'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' (2000)

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon centers on a young woman (Zhang Ziyi) who rejects her arranged marriage and instead follows her own path to become a legendary martial artist. It's a beautiful, complicated movie with beautiful, complicated women.

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'The Hunger Games' (2012)

Jennifer Lawrence’s Katniss Everdeen is portrayed as a shrewd, skilled hunter with no time for the “rules” being imposed upon her—a.k.a. the exact opposite of your stereotypical female trope. Sure, she gets by with a little help from her friends in the arena, but make no mistake: The heroine of Suzanne Collins's beloved dystopian novels and its book-to-movie adaptation is no damsel in distress. She does her fair share of saving the boys. (We’re looking at you, Peeta.)

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'Kill Bill: Volume 1 and 2' (2003–2004)

Kill Bill centers on a woman (Uma Thurman) seeking vengeance against the man who ruined her life. While Thurman delivers an iconic feminist performance, it must be noted that Quentin Tarantino's treatment of her during this Weinstein-produced movie was truly reprehensible.

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'Moana' (2016)

Brave heroine? Check. A harrowing mission? Check. Haters? Also check. Both tough and empowered, Moana is the modern Disney hero we all needed. Bonus points for the fact that there are no pointless love interests here—just one super smart little girl and her trusty ocean sidekicks.

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'Mulan' (1998)

Mulan deserves praise for its portrayal of a woman determined to escape the stereotypes of her gender. Since 1998, it's been showing countless children that women are every bit as brave and as capable as men—and in Mulan's case, even more so.

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The Original 'Star Wars' Trilogy (1977–1983)

Princess Leia wasn't always given the most empowering material to work with on Star Wars, but Carrie Fisher made the character a feminist hero worthy of applause. It's through Fisher's criticism of the franchise (the gold bikini was not her choice; she was asked to lose weight) that the character evolved into the icon she is today.

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'Wonder Woman' (2017)

What can be said about Wonder Woman that hasn't been said before? It flipped a male-dominated genre on its head, broke all the sexist tropes that come with female superheroes, slayed at the box office, and excited millions of young girls in need of on-screen representation.

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Feminist Comedy Movies

‘9 to 5’ (1980)

9 to 5 is more than a catchy tune—it’s also the title of a 1980 Dolly Parton film about a group of working girls who join forces to enact revenge on their sexist, morally wayward male boss. While much of the film is fun and full of hijinks, it tackled some serious issues about inequality in the workplace in its heyday, even being hailed as “radical” for the time. Explained Jane Fonda: “What’s unusual about our film is that it deals with very serious subject as a comedy."

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'Barbie' (2023)

Greta Gerwig was given the mighty task of adapting the iconic Mattel toy into a film, and did she ever! The filmmaker managed to tackle not only every stereotypical perception of the doll (unrealistic beauty standards, much?) but also the way it has inherently been reflected upon women over time. The stellar production design, costuming, hysterical jokes, and A+ ensemble don't hurt this film, either.

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'Legally Blonde' (2001)

Anyone who doesn't think Legally Blonde is a feminist movie isn't paying attention. This film takes the ditzy blonde notion and turns it on its head by having its perpetually pink-clad protagonist, Elle Woods (Reese Witherspoon), get into Harvard like it's no biggie, then solve the major legal case of her year.

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'The Witches of Eastwick' (1987)

We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again: Magic happens when women come together. That’s the lesson behind this 1987 cult classic, which sees three women (Susan Sarandon, Cher, and Michelle Pfeiffer) who have been scorned by the same man (Jack Nicholson) combining their powers to make him pay. And once he’s out of their hair? They'll live together in perfect harmony, natch.

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Feminist Sports Movies

'A League of Their Own' (1992)

An OG feminist flick, A League of Their Own is a fictionalized tale about the very real, very first female professional baseball league, whose team members went to bat against the patriarchy for its very existence. If that's not enough to convince you to give it a watch, it's also got an all-star cast of women that includes Geena Davis, Madonna(!), Rosie O'Donnell, and Lori Petty, to name a few.

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'Battle of the Sexes' (2017)

This sports biopic follows the story of real-life women's player Billie Jean King (Emma Stone). A quick history lesson? King came out on top of societal stereotypes in the so-called tennis "Battle of the Sexes" when pitted against the former No. 1 ranked men’s player, Bobby Riggs (played in the film by Steve Carell).

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'Bend It Like Beckham' (2002)

Bend It Like Beckham is a coming-of-age movie about an aspiring soccer player (Parminder Nagra) whose family refuses to let her participate in the sport because she's a girl. Naturally, she does it anyway, subverting expectations while also simultaneously falling in love. Also, please note that this movie was written, directed, and produced by a woman of color, Gurinder Chadha.

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'Whip It' (2009)

Directed by Drew Barrymore, Whip It reminds us all that a woman can rule the world (or at least high school) when she finds not only her spark, but a supportive group of women to cheer that discovery on. And for Bliss Cavendar (Elliot Page), who finds her voice when she finds her place within the local roller derby team, that spark comes on wheels.

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Poignant Feminist Movies

'The Color Purple' (1982)

Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel materialized on-screen for the first time in 1985 and became an iconic feminist film that has withstood the test of time. Whoopi Goldberg plays Celie Harris, a Black southern woman who survives years of abuse through the strength she finds within herself and from her female friends.

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'Daughters of the Dust' (1991)

Julie Dash’s indie drama Daughters of the Dust broke new ground as the first feature film to be theatrically released in the U.S. by a Black woman. Beyond smashing a major glass ceiling, it’s also a compelling, visually breathtaking film about a family of former enslaved people and their contentious decision to move from a Gullah community off the coast of South Carolina to the mainland.

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'G.I. Jane' (1997)

The inimitable Demi Moore dove headfirst into the fictional role of Jordan O’Neill, the first woman to receive special ops U.S. Navy SEALS training: She shaved her head for the part and underwent her own two-week SEALS bootcamp. While naysayers have criticized the film’s execution, the concept of overcoming inequality in the military was an important one. (For context, the first female sailor to complete a training course to become a Naval Special Warfare combatant-craft crewman as recently as 2021.)

“That [film] really posed a big question that at its core was like, ‘Why not? Why shouldn’t women be in combat?’” Moore later recalled. Her participation in the film also shed light on inequality in the film industry. “Being of the generation I’m from, I really wanted to find an action-oriented film, and I felt like the response I got was polite, but like I was crazy," she shared.

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'Jennifer's Body' (2009)

Diablo Cody’s feminist horror movie, directed by Karyn Kusama, sinks its demonic teeth into you in a big way. Megan Fox plays Jennifer, a high school girl who becomes the host to an evil spirit when a rock band sacrifices her body during a Satanic ritual. So, she feeds on boys to keep the demon (and her rage) at bay, leading to an enticing game of cat-and-mouse.

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'Little Women' (2019)

The feminism of Louisa May Alcott's original Little Women novel and its copious film and TV adaptations has been the subject of much discourse over the years. Still, Greta Gerwig's 2019 adaptation has a special place on our list, because it's a damn good story about four women who find—and wield—their power in different ways.

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'Mona Lisa Smile' (2003)

Julia Roberts was on a feminist roll in the early 2000s, first with Erin Brockovich and then with 2003’s Mona Lisa Smile. Playing out-of-town teacher Katherine Watson, she challenges the status quo at Wellesley College for women in the 1950s by changing their notions that their identities are meant to end at “wife” and “mother.” In turn, they teach her that embracing those roles in their lives doesn’t automatically mean rejecting feminism.

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'Promising Young Woman' (2020)

Director Emerald Fennell and actress Carey Mulligan confront rape culture, toxic masculinity, and trauma in Promising Young Woman. Mulligan plays a barista-vigilante out for vengeance for the college campus rape of her best friend. The film will enrage you, but it is also incredibly empowering and cathartic.

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'Thelma & Louise' (1991)

There's no greater movie about sisterhood than Thelma & Louise—a landmark feminist film about two women (Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis) who choose to stick together, come hell or high water. Though their ending may not be a happy one, it's a united one, through and through.

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'Waiting to Exhale' (1995)

Waiting to Exhale is a moving film about the power of female friendship. Following four women who stand by each other through their tumultuous love lives and career trials, its star power is immense, with Angela Bassett, Whitney Houston, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon leading the cast.

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'Wild' (2014)

Wild is an adaptation of Cheryl Strayed's memoir of the same name. Reese Witherspoon stars as Strayed, who packed up her belongings to hike 1,100 miles along the Pacific Crest Trail, solo style, while wrestling with her trauma. She's since inspired many other women to follow suit.

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'Whale Rider' (2002)

12-year-old Paikea Apirana (Keisha Castle-Hughes) has big dreams: She wants to be her village’s chief. The only problem? Girls aren’t allowed to hold the title. But it’s going to take more than a silly little detail like that to stop Apirana, who’s ready to do whatever it takes to prove herself to the village and her biggest critic: her grandfather and current chief of the tribe, Koro (Rawiri Paratene).

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True Feminist Stories

'Bombshell' (2019)

In this ripped-from-the-headlines drama, Charlize Theron and Nicole Kidman play Fox News anchors Megyn Kelly and Gretchen Carlson. Both women came forward about sexual harassment they faced from network CEO Roger Ailes, forcing his exit. Exceptionally good facial prosthetics aside, Theron, Kidman, and Margot Robbie (who plays a third, fictional character) give an, ahem, bombshell performance.

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'Boston Strangler' (2023)

Based on real-life journalists, this murder mystery explores how reporter Loretta McLaughlin (Keira Knightley) broke the story of the 1960s serial killer known as the Boston Strangler. She teams up with colleague Jean Cole (Carrie Coon) to report on the killings, with sexism aplenty along the way.

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'Erin Brockovich' (2000)

If you want to be inspired to effect real change, there's no better film to light your fire than Erin Brockovich. In an Oscar-winning performance, Julia Roberts plays the plucky paralegal and environmental activist who famously helped to win a lawsuit against Pacific Gas and Electric Company for contaminating water in the real-life town of Hinkley, Calif. Roberts portrays the film's heroine, whose work led in part to a $333 million settlement for the city's residents—a shining example of what happens when women stand up for what they believe in.

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'Hidden Figures' (2016)

It's hard to think of a more apt way to describe Hidden Figures than "inspiring," cliché though it may sound. It's a biographical drama about Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughan, a.k.a. three Black female mathematicians whose work led to some of NASA's most important historical milestones. The fact that so many people had never heard their story before its release is a true testament to how often women—and especially women of color—are sidelined in our history books.

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'Hustlers' (2019)

Based on a true story, this flick follows four dancers as they band together to con money out of the men who frequent their strip club. Sure, what they do is illegal, but in a way, they are taking their power back. Jennifer Lopez also gives a killer performance as the girl gang's leader.

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'Norma Rae' (1979)

Norma Rae tells the true tale of textile mill worker Crystal Lee Sutton, who made it her mission to unionize her place of employment in the face of low wages and unsafe working conditions. Sally Field won an Oscar for her take, which saw her fighting the good fight, even at her own cost, and succeeding.

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'On The Basis of Sex' (2018)

In this fictionalized take on the G.O.A.T., Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Felicity Jones takes on the Supreme Court judge's early fight for gender equality in the workplace. Consider a double-header with the 2018 documentary RGB.

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'Radium Girls' (2018)

A heartbreaking true story and one you may have never even heard of, Radium Girls dives into the radium poisoning of a group of factory workers in the 1920s. After several girls got sick, they banded together to advocate for safer work conditions. It's just one of the many important stories that make up the women's rights movement.

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'She Said' (2022)

She Said follows the true story of New York Times journalists Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), who are known for exposing Harvey Weinstein and his history of sexual abuse against women. Their article ignited the #MeToo movement and opened the floodgates for women to tell their stories throughout Hollywood and across other industries. The film not only shows the courage of all of the women involved, but is a testament to the power women wield when they come together.

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'Suffragette' (2015)

The fight for women's suffrage wasn't just an American one. Suffragette follows the movement in London through the eyes of a young working mother (Carey Mulligan), who joins a radical political movement in the fight for women's voting rights. Meryl Streep and Helena Bonham Carter also star in this moving historical drama.

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'Zero Dark Thirty' (2012)

This war drama, directed by Kathryn Bigelow, sees Jessica Chastain as Maya, a woman who headed up the hunt for Osama bin Laden. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Chastain.

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