Female rage in cinema is a fascinating concept. It often serves as a powerful narrative device, reflecting deeper themes of empowerment, injustice, and personal transformation. In movies like Carrie and The Glory, female protagonists are driven to extreme acts of revenge and self-assertion in response to profound trauma and oppression.
In such movies, the plot showcases the starting point of female rage from a source of vulnerability that transforms into a potent force that drives the triggered woman to reclaim agency and confront her oppressors, even at great personal cost. Sometimes, these films aren’t just a reaction to individual acts of violence or betrayal but a broader commentary on systemic issues of power, control, and gender dynamics. For instance, in I Spit on Your Grave, Jennifer Hills’ anger is fueled by sexual assault. Her rage stems from a profound sense of injustice and the failure of the legal and social systems to protect her.
Other times, cinema portrays the onset of the rage of a woman simply—not necessarily spurred by oppression or trauma, but by common, yet deep-cutting acts of betrayal, like cheating. For instance, in Gone Girl, it is Amy, the main character’s husband’s infidelity that causes her to move fucking crazy.
We explored 10 Movies with plots driven by women’s anger. Truly, hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.
1. Mizu in Blue Eye Sumarai
What triggered her: Mizu was born in Japan around 1637-38 to a Japanese woman who a white Western trader raped. Shortly after her birth, Mizu was targeted by an assassination attempt, which claimed her mother’s life instead. Having learned that there were only four white men in Japan at the time of her birth, she was determined to avenge her “mother” by killing her unknown father. She sought to become the world’s greatest swordsman.
Blue Eye Sumarai has to be one of the best films of 2024. It’s a visually stunning animation, full of grit and heart, plunging viewers into a feudal Japan you’ve probably never seen. You watch Mizu slay a gazillion amount of soldiers trying to get to Abijah Fowler, a depraved and powerful colonizer and one of the four men that could possibly be her father, and you’re rooting for her not only because you’ve warmed up to her character but also because she almost never catches a break. I loved the stunning visuals of this series. They are a delight for one’s eyes. I also liked that the story was packed with twists, turns, and an undercurrent of dark humour which kept me on the edge of my seat.
Mizu is a very intriguing character— quiet, calculating, independent, strategic, confident, dismissive of any emotions, and extremely vengeful, so much so to the point she’s called an Onryō of Japanese folklore [vengeful demon-ghost of a wronged woman] a few times in the show. The way she refused to let anything sway her from her mission was so badass. Still, as you dig deeper into the series, you learn that there are many layers to her as a result of vulnerable and sad experiences, so much so that her story lingers with you even after pressing the stop button.
I’m not joking when I say this series was excellent, go and watch it! I am rating it a 20/21.
2. Anna from A Song From the Dark
What triggered her: Anna wasn’t the protagonist from this recently released Nigerian British horror movie, but it was her cry of rage to a supernatural being called Anioji, when she was mistreated and eventually murdered by a Nigerian family (The Williams) she worked for, that set the plot.
While Anna was weak and helpless, Anioji on the other hand was a malevolent spirit hell-bent on wiping the entire Williams family.
The plot unfolds in a non-linear fashion, interweaving several storylines that gradually converge, keeping viewers engaged and eager for more. The narrative is filled with suspense, mystery, and surprising twists, making it impossible to foresee what comes next. Right from the beginning, I enjoyed this movie way more than I expected to. With its gripping storytelling filled with Nigerian spiritualism but conveyed in a modern flair, sharp dialogue, and exceptional acting all done against the backdrop of authentic black characters, I was very impressed. I am rating the movie a solid 18/20.
3. Brenda in Diary of a Mad Black Woman
What triggered her: In Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Helen (played by Kimberly Elise) is triggered by the sudden and brutal end of her marriage. On the evening of her eighteenth wedding anniversary, Helen arrives home to find all her belongings in a U-Haul and that her husband, Charles, is divorcing her and planning to marry Brenda, his young mistress and the mother of his two sons. This betrayal, combined with the humiliation from Charles’ abusiveness throughout her marriage and the loss of everything she once knew, fuels her rage.
Like every Tyler Perry movie, Diary of a Mad Black Woman has a lot of drama. Helen is able to get her lick back from her useless ex-husband when, in a surprising turn of events, he is shot in the most unexpected way—it’s like Helen’s guardian angel woke up and said, “My turn”!
The injuries Charles sustained at the shooting almost led him to death but Helen who was legally still his wife, told the doctors that they must do everything in their power to ensure he stayed alive, even if it meant that upon resuscitation, he would permanently be paralyzed from the waist down. At this point in the film, I’m thinking that our girl Helen was still in love, little did I know that she wanted the man alive so she could exact her revenge.
When Charles is discharged from the hospital, he still has the audacity to resume verbally abusing Brenda, but this time around, she doesn’t just keep mute, she begins to retaliate and it is the most satisfying thing EVER. Brenda’s journey in the movie is a raw exploration of how repressed anger and hurt can erupt when power shifts in favour of the oppressed.
Over time, Charles comes to his senses and realises that Brenda is a real one. He regrets taking her for granted and tries to make amends. She forgives him but eventually leaves to marry another guy who adores her. Permanently restricting someone who hurt you from having access to your love, kindness, and energy and going to where you feel seen, understood, and appreciated? What a way to level up. I’m rating this movie a 16/21!
4. Amy Dunne in Gone Girl
What triggered her: In Gone Girl, Amy Dunne (played by Rosamund Pike) is triggered by a mix of deep-seated resentment, betrayal, and disillusionment. Her marriage to Nick (played by Ben Affleck) deteriorates as she discovers his infidelity and becomes increasingly disenchanted with the life they’ve built together, which she perceives as a far cry from the idealized version she had crafted in her mind. Amy’s rage is driven by a desire to punish Nick for his betrayal.
Gone Girl is an intense rollercoaster that explores the chilling actions of Amy who tried to be the perfect girl for her man, Nick, so much that in many ways she felt trapped in the marriage, yet, she maintained the illusion of a happy wife. So, when Nick cheated on her, she felt extremely wronged. Spoiler alert: the movie literally starts with her faking her abduction, continues on a crazier and darker pace, and then ends with her coming back home to Nick. But the gag is, when she came back to resume her “perfect” life with him, she knew he knew all the chilling things she had done to paint him as the primary suspect in her disappearance, yet he couldn’t say a word about it because he had just learned in the worst possible ways that the woman he married has a side to her that is batshit crazy.
Gone Girl is cult classic material. I’m rating it a 21/21.
5. Jennifer Hills in I Spit On Your Grave
What triggered her: In I Spit on Your Grave, Jennifer Hills (played by Camille Keaton) is triggered by a horrific and brutal act of violence. While on a secluded retreat to work on her writing, Jennifer is brutally gang-raped by a group of local men because she is “snobbish” and needs to be taught a lesson. The assault is merciless and leaves her physically and emotionally shattered. The severity of the violence and the subsequent lack of justice or support drive Jennifer to a relentless quest for revenge. Her rage is fueled by the profound trauma she endures and the desire to hold her attackers accountable, leading her to meticulously plan and execute a series of creative and violent retaliations against them.
This movie is not for the faint-hearted. You watch as Jennifer transforms from a victim to an avenger and it is wonderfully brutal and straight to the point. Honestly, I wish what Jennifer did to the five men who assaulted her in the film is what happens to every rapist in real life.
I’m rating the movie a 19/21.
6. The Bride (Beatrix Kiddo) in Kill Bill Volume 1 & 2
What triggered her: In Kill Bill, Beatrix Kiddo, also known as “The Bride” (played by Uma Thurman), is triggered by the ultimate betrayal from her former lover and leader of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, Bill. Beatrix wants to step away from a life of guns and assassinations, so she leaves Bill and moves to a quaint town in pursuit of an ordinary life.
On what should have been the happiest day of her life—her wedding day—Bill and the Deadly Vipers brutally attack her, leaving her for dead and killing everyone in the chapel. However, Beatrix survives, and after awakening from a four-year coma, she discovers that she lost her unborn child as a result of the attack. This traumatic event, compounded by the loss of her child and the life she had hoped to build, ignites an unstoppable rage within Beatrix.
The Bride in Kill Bill has a single-minded fury that drives the entire narrative of the film. Her quest for vengeance is as the title suggests, kill Bill, but for her to get to Bill, she had to go after the world-class assassins who joined him to crash her wedding and left her for dead.
At the beginning of the movie, Beatrix goes into the house of her first target. Upon her arrival, she sees that her target lives with a little child. Softened by this, Beatrix offers that the woman picks another venue to die, one that won’t require her dying in front of her child —very demure, right? From this onset, you know Beatrix no send anybody’s papa. She’s out for blood.
I watched Kill Bill only recently and instantly knew why it is considered one of the greatest movies ever made. My favourite thing about the movie was how highly stylized and choreographed its fight scenes are. The action is both brutal and visually stunning, often accompanied by striking cinematography and an eclectic soundtrack. It was a very enjoyable watch.
I’m rating the movie a 19/21.
7. Moon Dong-eun in The Glory
What triggered her: In The Glory, Moon Dong-eun (played by Song Hye-kyo) is triggered by the extreme and prolonged bullying she endured during her high school years. She was relentlessly tormented by a group of wealthy and influential classmates who inflicted severe physical, emotional, and psychological abuse on her. Worse still, the cruelty she faced was not only ignored but also tacitly condoned by the adults around her, including teachers and her parents. This left her feeling utterly powerless and abandoned. It was a cold and brutal childhood for Moon Dong-eun.
The extent of the trauma she suffered, the lack of accountability from her tormentors who were still powerful figures and the injustice of everything as it was, fuelled Moon Dong-eun’s desire for revenge. Instead of moving on, she meticulously plans to take down each of her abusers and those who allowed it to happen, dedicating years of her life to this purpose. Honestly, this movie told me that sometimes, forgiveness is overrated. Sometimes, sistah, the closure you need is from doing your own back.
Moon Dong-eun’s rage is driven by a need to reclaim her sense of self, expose the darkness behind her tormentors’ seemingly perfect lives, and achieve the justice she was denied.
This K-Drama is quite a heavy watch but extremely fulfilling if you hate bullies. You root extremely hard for Moon Dong-eun because Omo, she suffered and it’s even more painful because she literally was only a child! The most annoying part of it all was that her childhood bullies grew up to be more despicable people, so as a viewer, you don’t even feel bad as Moon Dong-eun tears their lives apart from the inside out. This show gets a solid 20/21 ranking. Yes, it’s that good.
8. Carrie in Carrie
What triggered her: Carrie (played by Chloe Moretz) is triggered by a combination of extreme bullying at school and the oppressive religious fanaticism of her mother.
Carrie is a shy girl, outcast, and bullied by her peers in her high school. In a scene in the movie, because no one educated her on puberty, when she has her first period, in the shower after gym class, terrified, she makes a big scene out of it. Her classmates mock her and one, Christine, even films her on a phone. This leads to Christine being suspended and banned from attending the upcoming prom. So, she plans to have her revenge on Carrie
Carrie’s tipping point comes during the prom when she gets all dressed up to impress her crush. She goes for this prom after a HUGE fight with her mother who relentlessly tried to stop her from going.
She gets there eventually, feeling really fulfilled and happy but soon after, her smile is turned upside down when her classmates led by Chris, play a cruel prank on her. The prank involved dumping a bucket of pig’s blood on her. Worse, the bucket falls on her crush who dies instantly. This public humiliation is the catalyst that unleashes Carries’s telekinetic powers, which she uses in a devastating rage to kill every student and staff.
Carrie is a slow-burn horror movie that is saved by Chloe Moretz who delivers a strong lead performance. It was an intriguing watch but I must say, very disturbing. I’ll give it a 16.5/21.
9. Frida in Blink Twice
What triggered her: Frida (played by Naomi Ackie) is triggered by her realisation of the manipulation and abuse she and other women have suffered on a mysterious private island owned by a wealthy man.
Directed by Zoë Kravitz, Blink Twice is a highly triggering watch but rather mind-blowing.
Frida and several other women find themselves lured to a private island under dubious circumstances, where they discover that the man who owns the island, Slater King (played by Channing Tatum), and his friends are using a drug-laced perfume to erase the women’s memories.
One significant moment that amplifies Frida’s rage is when she realises that Slater and his friends have not only been drugging the women but also raping them, erasing their traumatic memories while taking advantage of them. As the story unfolds, she also realises that she has been on the island before and suffered similar abuses.
This sense of betrayal and the fight for her autonomy fuel her anger as she faces the harsh truth of the abuse she endured.
One aspect I truly appreciated about Blink Twice was the portrayal of sisterhood. Despite the trauma they faced, the women on the island, especially Frida and Naomi (played by Adria Arjona), united to fight for themselves. Their anger was completely justified!
As I said, it’s a very triggering film but a worthwhile watch. 19/21.
10. Sigrid in Twilight of the Gods
What triggered her: Sigrid’s rage in Twilight of the Gods is initially triggered when Thor brutally murders her entire family, setting her on a path of revenge against him. As she navigates this journey, her anger intensifies when she realises she has been used as a pawn in a larger conflict involving Thor and Loki.
Played by Hannah Waddingham, Sigrid is a fierce warrior determined to have her revenge. I binge-watched the first season in a single day—it’s that good! Her strength and resilience make her such an inspiring character.
At the end of the day, when I think about it, there’s no one way the anger of a woman is portrayed on TV. Sometimes it’s either extremely calculated or impulsive, justified or a little bit not commiserate with the misdoing. Imagine all Amy from Gone Girl did to punish her husband for cheating, she faked her own death and framed it on her husband. There’s a part in the film where she covered herself in a dead guy’s blood and walked around with it, all over her body for about two days—all just to keep that narrative going. I don’t know, maybe she could just have, filed for a divorce?
