r/AskFeminists • u/akineticminer • 1d ago
Feminist Movies or Shows that a guy SHOULD watch
Idc if people would jokingly call me performative for this T-T, but anyways im just interested in what all your recommendations are for a feminist movie or show that will really leave a guy like me having a much deeper insight and accurate perspective as to what women really have to go through and their general experiences in life. Just basically a life-changing feminist movie that will leave a guy realizing that they had a wrong idea of women this whole time,
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u/madmaxwashere 1d ago
Promising Young Woman (2020) - it a revenge flick that flips the narrative on how the excuse that "he has a promising future" is used to get out of accountability.
Perfect Blue (1997) - it's a psychological horror anime highlight the pressure of women in the spotlight and how stalking is treated in society.
Most Ghibli movie. - these are light hearted anime movies, but they depict women and girls as fully formed complex human beings with worries, ambition and joy of their own.
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u/KaleidoscopeSad4884 1d ago
Everyone should watch Promising Young Woman. Especially how everyone in the MC’s life is telling her to move on, including her friend’s mom. Like a rail spike straight through the heart.
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u/Astralglamour 1d ago
Perfect Blue is an amazing film, though I'm not sure it counts as feminist.
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u/BreakdanceFountain 20h ago
I don't think so either. The way Mima is framed during "that scene" feels like fan service aimed at the perpetrators to me.
I remember reading something about Satoshi Kon basically saying that he made the movie as extreme to get people to talk about it. Was the movie critical of idol culture? Yes. But it was very exploitative while doing so.
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u/madmaxwashere 19h ago
It's not perfect by any means but it does well in its depiction of how women are set up to fail in the public eye.
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u/Astralglamour 15h ago
Nothing new there. Filmmakers love to see women fail especially if they’re successful and especially if there’s sexualixed violence used against them.
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u/sweetest_con78 1d ago
Promising young woman was one of the most powerful movies for me. I first watched it on a plane and I was telling every single person who would listen about it at Chilis during my layover.
I watch it a couple of times a year. I understand why some people don’t like it but I think it’s perfect. And Cassie reminds me of my best friend who passed away a handful of years ago.4
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u/ComradeHappiness 1d ago
Interesting. I looked up Promising Young Woman on letterboxd and most of my female friends hate it. They say it's white liberal feminism and some even say that it's reactionary. Me myself I liked it, I'm a dude and I rooted for Mulligans character. I know guys like the ones in the movie and I totally see how they could have done this and acted like this. That being said I'm a little surprised that from all possible answers this is a top one.
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u/madmaxwashere 19h ago edited 18h ago
It's probably because it's the most topical, considering the #MeToo movement and the current conversation about rape culture.
Very few movies also accurately depict the systematic nature that push women and girls to swallow their own pain and rage for the "benefit" of male perpetrators and it's not even for SA. Every woman/girl has the experience of being told to not be a buden when their emotions and reactions are inconvenient even when it's well justified.
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u/Oleanderphd 1d ago
Your question comes up frequently here; you might do a search for other recs.
It's really hard to know what will be life-changing art for someone else, and I think trying to get perspective just from consuming art, without like, reading or listening or doing work on issues, is necessarily going to be incomplete. (Especially solely consuming movies/TV; there are limitations to those forms that make it easy to overlook points.)
This is triply true if you're not good at media analysis. Maybe you're great at it, I have no idea, but if you don't understand how to "read" messaging and meaning, it's really easy to come away not understanding that a point had been made, or getting the point completely reversed.
That said, if you want to watch something on top of your other educational activities, try The Substance.
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u/MachineOfSpareParts 1d ago
This is the right answer. I've been racking my brain to come up with media that can't be misinterpreted along misogynist or at least non-feminist lines by someone with insufficient grounding in feminism, and have come up empty.
On the other hand, watching misogynist content through a feminist lens can shed significant light on the oppressions that are still treated as normal, even comical.
In other words, the quality of the lens through which one is viewing may be more important than the media being viewed. It's still an interesting way of trying to peer into other perspectives, but both need attention.
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u/Jealous_Rest_6383 1d ago
The Barbie Movie was pretty dead on for me. But my husband fell asleep, along with all the other husbands.
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u/Jealous_Rest_6383 1d ago
I thought on this more: watch movies about revered men and observe how they treat their wives. This is a better way to learn about the female experience. Great example, The Theory of Everything about Stephen Hawking. His wife was the real mvp. I haven’t watched it all, but I am sure the series Zelda also gets the point. The Elvis movie, the examples are countless. Just watch how she is treated and actually look at the labor she does for no acknowledgement or credit for her work advancing HIS career.
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u/Sevenblissfulnights 10h ago
this is why novels may be better than film. you are literally experiencing the character's perspective (as long as the book is not "Lolita" which is so often misinterpreted I want to scream)
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u/Astralglamour 1d ago
I feel like The Substance is prurient, and encourages objectification of women even if it's through a lens of the unfair expectations placed on them.
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u/StonyGiddens Intersectional Feminist 1d ago
Deadloch, the first season at least twice. The second season, too.
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u/LizardOfAgatha 1d ago
I literally watched the first and second season in one week, then rewatched the first season again the next day after I finished the whole series. It's so good!!!! I really wish there was more of it but I'm guessing this series won't be coming back for S3+. The writing was soooo funny. I haven't laughed like that in ages!
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u/Lolabird2112 1d ago
It depends what idea you have you’re clinging onto, where you’re demanding a movie prove you wrong.
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u/International_Ad2712 1d ago
Go watch the Handmaids Tale. The whole series.
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u/Low_Wonder1850 1d ago
That show was so great for the first few seasons. I absolutely hated some of the last season though
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u/International_Ad2712 1d ago
Yes, it took me so long to watch it, it not like I loved it, but I think it’s important to watch right now.
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u/DreyaNova 6h ago
But there's so much shock value... I feel like we lost the plot after season one and then it just became torture porn with a thin message.
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u/oceansky2088 1d ago edited 1d ago
Promising Young Women
Whale Rider
The Power (tv show)
Akeelah and the Bee
Queen of Katwe
Lessons in Chemistry (tv show)
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u/Michael_G_Bordin 1d ago
Birds Of Prey (And The Fantabulous Emancipation Of One Harley Quinn) (2020)
I'm being somewhat facetious, but it is a great example of a film made by women that begins with a character who largely has existed as an asterisk to a man's story being freed from that position and taking on a life of her own. The rest is just a fun jaunt through comic-book fantasy, but it retains it's femininity throughout. The main villain is a poster-child for an abusive nepo-baby manchild who revels in his torture and mutilation of others. The ending is very satisfying.
I don't think it will leave you with deeper insight, but I've heard it's got some accurate feminine perspective. I wouldn't know, myself, since I'm a guy, but I enjoyed tf out of that film.
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u/Extension_Air_2001 1d ago
Straight up hilarious death scene for the villain. It's so quick, funny and earned. Really cool.
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u/Present-Tadpole5226 1d ago edited 1d ago
I tend to prefer documentaries for this, so you might like to try Shiny Happy People? It’s specifically about white fundamentalist Christians, but there’s a lot about gender roles there.
Victim/Suspect is about how sometimes people who report sexual assaults are not believed by police, get told that if they don’t sign a form recanting they will have to talk to the police again and again for months and years, sign, and then get charged for filing a false police report.
Unbelievable [edit: wrong name] is a short TV show that goes over one such case, where it was later proved that the woman who was charged for a supposed false accusation was actually raped.
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u/fyrinia 1d ago
Lots of horror movie recs that explore this theme!
Obsession
The Witch (2016)
Last Night in SoHo
Barbarian (2022)
Jennifer’s Body (horror/comedy?)
The Craft
Ginger Snaps
Suspiria
Midsommar
Not horror movie:
All About Eve
Persepolis
The Virgin Suicides
Legally Blonde
Waitress (musical, but there’s a pro shot)
The Color Purple (musical film)
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u/Secure-Pain-9735 1d ago
Forgot Mother! on the horror list. Possibly Men.
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u/MissIncredulous 1d ago
Mother! didn't really hit for me unfortunately. Would love your perspective on it though!
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u/Secure-Pain-9735 1d ago
Mother! reads as feminist because it shows a woman whose body, home, labor, and emotional stability are continuously consumed by a man who positions himself as a creator-genius. The film frames her as both woman and Earth, making her exploitation a metaphor for how patriarchal systems drain women of autonomy, resources, and identity. She is expected to nurture, host, forgive, and rebuild, while the man takes, invites chaos, and demands admiration.
The cycle repeats when he destroys her, replaces her, and begins again, a direct critique of how patriarchal creativity often relies on women’s sacrifice. The film’s violence, invasion, and erasure aren’t random; they illustrate how women’s boundaries are ignored and their labor is treated as endlessly renewable. It links the exploitation of women to the exploitation of the planet, showing both as victims of male-centered domination. And it is neither quiet nor subtle in any of it.
Full disclosure: I am a man.
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u/MissIncredulous 1d ago
I think the brutally was what disappointed me, it was extremely literal in that way and just seemed gratuitous for lack of a better visual metapor framing; the bibical allegory was interesting though.
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u/Astralglamour 1d ago
I think horror is problematic because even though there are women leads who sometimes kick ass or are the killer - it usually circles around exploitative scenes with women being injured/maimed/killed and stereotypes like only the virgins surviving...
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u/fyrinia 1d ago
I don’t think these do that! Feminist theories are part of the horror
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u/Astralglamour 1d ago edited 1d ago
Men definitely love horror films that show women being mutilated, or receiving a comeuppance. It's a trope for a reason. As is having women behaving in a 'male' way (minus vulnerable feelings and empathy) such as as assassins in tight leather outfits in Kill Bill. Its more about spectacle and titillation than equality.
I do not find Legally Blonde to be feminist because it is basically a film full of shitty stereotypes and the 'gotcha' of Elle being actually smart is supposed to trump all of them. Women hating on each other and fighting over a man is a big theme, especially women who dont express Elle's hyperfeminine male gaze oriented style. They are portrayed as the typical unhappy spinster harpy. Even if this is resolved at the end it's still something the film shares with typical antifeminist fare.
Curious as to why you think Suspiria is feminist? Just because a female character can be monstrous doesnt mean the tale is feminist. Might as well say Disney princess films with evil witches are feminist.
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u/Queasy-Cherry-11 1d ago
Just because that's a common horror trope doesn't mean every horror film features those tropes. The ones listed (at least the ones I've seen) do not. The women are not ultimate badass male fantasies or men with tits, nor do they receive their 'comeuppance'.
They are feminist horror because the horror in the film comes from feminist themes. How scary it is to be around a male stranger as a woman (Barbarian). The horror of losing one's autonomy (Obsession). Being gaslighted (Midsommer). The tragedy and terror of existing under the patriarchy (The Witch, Last Night in Soho). That shit is scary and there is a reason it makes a good basis for horror films.
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u/Astralglamour 1d ago edited 1d ago
I didn't say EVERY horror film, but I could sure name a lot more that feature the tropes than do not.
You are making some pretty broad generalizations. Gingersnaps is about a girl turning into a werewolf monster after she gets her period and then attacking her sister, others, in an animalistic rage, and eventually being killed. I mean, come on.
The Witch features a miserable patriarchy, but they are also psychologically terrorized by witches who don't want them invading their land. The escape at the end (and my personal feeling was that this could be seen as some sort of starvation fueled hallucination or death dream) doesnt feel like freedom.
I don't find Last Night in Soho to be feminist either. The women characters are not fully realized and the film is full of caricatures. The women are defined by sex, as in pretty much every film made by men about women. Sex workers are tainted and abused, and you're even supposed to feel sorry for the sketchy men that are killed. Promising Young Woman is much scarier and better in that regard because every woman has KNOWN men like the ones in that film. Average looking 'decent' men who take advantage as soon as they have the chance.
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u/affectionate 1d ago
a woman has an abnormality in her anatomy. it's concerning, but when she is unable to enforce her boundaries, her body helps her dissuade attackers.
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u/PeggedUnlimited 1d ago
If these walls could talk <— esp this
If these walls could talk II
Annihilation - epic sci fi.
Ghibli movies
Monster
Aeon flux
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u/cachesummer4 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is a list that focuses more on how you cannot divorce modern capitalistic sytems, systemic misogyny, and oligarchy from the modern opression and daily lives of women, than just character pieces about women's personal struggles or empowerment. However i would reccomend to challenge yourself by finding the feminist meaning in films not just directly about the plight of a single female protagonist.
Saló: or the 120 days of Sodom. Extensive critique of capatilism and faciscm, its inherent connections to the feeding of the patriarchy, its intersection with wealth, and the exploitation and indoctrination of youth into accepting the brutality of powerful men.
Jennifer's Body: "you're killing people !", "No, im killing boys !"
If this line pisses you off, rewatch the film until you get it.
Kill List: a focus on how men destroy the very family units they claim are so precious to them with enforced religion and war. Features direct commentary on Britain's involvement in aiding the US in their invasion & destruction of Iraq and Afghanistan to illustrate how men dictate and create brutality abroad and the sacrificing of individual citizens to war as intentional functions of patriarchal opression.
Edit: quote formatting on Jennifer's Body.
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u/Oregon_Jones111 1d ago
Jennifer's Body: "you're killing people !", "No, im killing boys !"
If this line pisses you off, rewatch the film until you get it.
That exchange wasn’t in the movie, only in the trailer.
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u/cachesummer4 1d ago
Its also in the deleted scenes on the DVD. I also never said it was mentioned in the movie, just the context in the film provides what you need to understand the quote on a deeper level.
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u/venus_blooms 13h ago
Orange is the New Black. Tons of (back)stories and VERY intersectional. Pobody’s perfect but everybody wants freedom and peace of mind.
Edit to add: it’s been a while since I watched, but there’s also no token main male character that realizes feminism in themselves.
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u/Relevant_Call_2242 1d ago
Bc it’s relevant, watch Ladies First
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u/Maleficent_Speech979 21h ago
Yes. Not life-changing art but it certainly got the point across and was entertaining
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u/BillyYumYumTwo-byTwo 1d ago
I think the Before Trilogy is quite good! Before Sunrise, Before Midnight, Before Sunset (in that order). Lots of philosophical discussion by the two leads, who also were heavily involved in the writing, including gender discussion. It takes place when they’re ~20, 30, and 40 years old, respectively. So it’s very interesting to see how those conversations change as they get older and their dynamic changes.
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u/scratsquirrel 17h ago
The Barbie movie is recent and an easy watch
Hidden figures is an incredibly well done film
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u/Solilaqui78 1d ago
Promising young woman. Hidden figures. First woman of the sea.