Every month is a month to celebrate women. Every month is a month to give us our accolades. March just so happens to mark the month we universally remember the women who came before us, the women who are here today, and the women coming after us. It is the month we remember all we have and are going to achieve. In honour of Women’s History Month, International Women’s Day, Bisexual Health Awareness Month, World Doula Week and Endometriosis Awareness Month, I decided to honour women in the media by putting together a comprehensive list of movies and TV series depicting women in all our glory.
I hope these films make you laugh, cry, rage, scream for joy and feel every emotion under the sun. I hope they give you hope and a little boost of some girl power. Lastly, I hope they educate you and teach you to stand up straight, your chest out and your head lifted. I hope they teach you pride in yourself and your accomplishments.
Wonder Woman(2017)
Synopsis: Before she was Wonder Woman (Gal Gadot), she was Diana, princess of the Amazons, trained to be an unconquerable warrior. Raised on a sheltered island paradise, Diana meets an American pilot (Chris Pine) who tells her about the massive conflict that’s raging in the outside world. Convinced that she can stop the threat, Diana leaves her home for the first time. Fighting alongside men in a war to end all wars, she finally discovers her full powers and true destiny.
Why Watch?: From start to finish, Gal Gadot was a bad bitch! When it first aired in 2017, I was excited but very sceptical. I really didn’t want them to f-ck it up. Imagine my surprise when they didn’t?? All I can hear rn is the soundtrack that came on whenever she was about to do something EPIC! A definite MUST and RE-WATCH.
Gia (1998)
Synopsis: Gia Carangi (Angelina Jolie) travels to New York City with dreams of becoming a fashion model. Within minutes of arriving, she meets Wilhelmina Cooper (Faye Dunaway), a wise and high-powered agent who takes Gia under her wing. With Cooper’s help and her own natural instincts, Gia quickly shoots to the top of the modeling world. When Cooper dies of lung cancer, however, Gia turns to drugs — and both she and her career begin to spiral out of control.
Why Watch?: Ever seen Angelina in a sapphic role?
Princess and the Frog (2009)
Synopsis: Hardworking and ambitious, Tiana (Anika Noni Rose) dreams of one day opening the finest restaurant in New Orleans. Her dream takes a slight detour when she meets Prince Naveen (Bruno Campos), who has been turned into an amphibian by evil Dr. Facilier. Mistaking her for a princess and hoping to break the spell, Naveen plants a kiss on poor Tiana — thereby turning her into a frog as well. The pair hop along on an adventure through the bayous to seek the help of a powerful voodoo priestess.
Why Watch?: Too many people can relate to Tiana. We know what it’s like to save and save and save and still not have enough. Watching Tiana fight for her dreams as a child was something I found very inspiring.
Queen’s Gambit (2020)
Synopsis: The Queen’s Gambit follows the life of an orphan chess prodigy, Elizabeth Harmon, during her quest to become an elite chess player while struggling with emotional problems, drugs and alcohol dependency. The title of the series refers to a chess opening of the same name.
Why Watch?: This series had me in a chokehold. I started and couldn’t stop. It was the first thing I saw Anya Taylor-Joy in and so far, she hasn’t beat this role(to me) yet.
Harriet(2019)
Synopsis: From her escape from slavery through the dangerous missions she led to liberate hundreds of slaves through the Underground Railroad, the story of heroic abolitionist Harriet Tubman is told.
Why Watch?: If you don’t want to cry, this isn’t your movie. If you want to watch the story of a black slave rise up and fight for herself and her people, THIS is your movie!
Below the Belt (2023)
Synopsis: Endometriosis affects one in nine women, but patients are often dismissed, discounted and disbelieved. There is no known cure for this disease, and it often takes years to be diagnosed.
Why Watch?: I haven’t seen this yet but knowing the plot is about endometriosis is a good enough reason to try this out.
Little Women (2019)
Synopsis: In the years after the Civil War, Jo March lives in New York and makes her living as a writer, while her sister Amy studies painting in Paris. Amy has a chance encounter with Theodore, a childhood crush who proposed to Jo but was ultimately rejected. Their oldest sibling, Meg, is married to a schoolteacher, while shy sister Beth develops a devastating illness that brings the family back together.
Why Watch?: The lines and the cast. Did you say Emma Watson? Florence Pugh? Meryl Streep? Timothy Chalamante and Saoirse Ronana? Say no more. Additionally, Louisa May Alcott’s writing was the s-it when she wrote this and still is today!
Frida (2002)
Synopsis: A biopic of the bold and controversial life of artist Frida Kahlo. Set in Mexico City, this visually evocative film traces her lifelong, tempestuous relationship with her mentor, along with her illicit affairs with Trotsky and various women. Her forward-thinking artistic, political and sexual attitudes are explored as we witness a hard-drinking, passionate woman of the early 1900s, which earned an Oscar nomination for Salma Hayek.
Why Watch?: Read the synopsis.
Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022)
Synopsis: Young Ganga is tricked by her boyfriend with the promise of a film career and persuaded to leave the countryside for Mumbai. In Mumbai, her dreams of a film career come crashing down and she is lured to the underworld.
Why Watch?: This film! I love (not z world) Bollywood films. Much like K dramas, few films emit the emotion and intensity that Indian films do. They keep you at the freaking edge of your seat. Ridiculously good acting, good directing and spectacular writing. I don’t know much about Alia Bhatt but she holds my ovaries in her palms. I’ve seen this movie multiple times since its release. This isn’t something you can ever regret watching.
A League of Their Own(2022)
Synopsis: While her husband is away at war, Carson Shaw leaves her small-town life to pursue her dream of playing professional baseball. Maxine Chapman is an African-American woman obsessed with baseball, who cannot even get people to allow her to try out and struggles to get considered for any baseball team.
Why Watch?: It’s gay AF!
Other Films to Watch in March
Captain Marvel (2019)
Brave(2012)
Queen of Katwe(2016)
Lady Sings the Blues(1972)
Respect(2021)
Endo What? (2016)
Hidden Figures (2016)
Moana (2016)
Thappad (2020)
Homecoming: A Film by Beyonce (2019)
Appropriate Behaviour (2014)
Atomic Blonde(2017)
Imagine me and you (2005)
Chasing Amy (1997)
Colette (2018)
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011)
Damsel (2024)
9 to 5 (1980)
Legally Blonde (2001)
Suffragette (2015)
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
Bhakshak (2024)
A Typical (2017)
Dickinson (2019)
Doula (2022)
Barbie (2023)
The Woman King (2022)
How to Get Away With Murder (2014)
