Important and thought provoking films made by and/or about women
by renee43026 | created - 27 Oct 2013 | updated - 25 May 2015 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Personal Velocity (2002)
R | 86 min | Drama, Romance
Three women's escapes from their afflicted lives. Each struggles to flee from the men who confine their personal freedom.
Director: Rebecca Miller | Stars: Kyra Sedgwick, Parker Posey, Fairuza Balk, John Ventimiglia
Votes: 3,936 | Gross: $0.77M
2. Boys Don't Cry (1999)
R | 118 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A young man named Brandon Teena navigates love, life, and being transgender in rural Nebraska.
Director: Kimberly Peirce | Stars: Hilary Swank, Chloë Sevigny, Peter Sarsgaard, Brendan Sexton III
Votes: 103,300 | Gross: $11.53M
3. An Education (2009)
PG-13 | 100 min | Drama
A coming-of-age story about a teenage girl in 1960s suburban London, and how her life changes with the arrival of a playboy nearly twice her age.
Director: Lone Scherfig | Stars: Carey Mulligan, Peter Sarsgaard, Alfred Molina, Olivia Williams
Votes: 138,165 | Gross: $12.57M
4. I Shot Andy Warhol (1996)
R | 103 min | Biography, Drama
The story of Valerie Solanas, a '60s radical who preached misandry in her "Scum" manifesto. She wrote a screenplay for a film that she wanted Andy Warhol to produce, but after he repeatedly ignored her, she shot him.
Director: Mary Harron | Stars: Lili Taylor, Jared Harris, Martha Plimpton, Lothaire Bluteau
Votes: 7,120 | Gross: $1.81M
5. Lovely & Amazing (2001)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Self-esteem and insecurity are at the heart of this comedy about the relationship between a mother and her three confused daughters.
Director: Nicole Holofcener | Stars: Catherine Keener, Brenda Blethyn, Troy Ruptash, Emily Mortimer
Votes: 7,694 | Gross: $4.19M
6. Young Adult (2011)
R | 94 min | Comedy, Drama
Soon after her divorce, a fiction writer returns to her home in small-town Minnesota, looking to rekindle a romance with her ex-boyfriend who is now happily married and has a newborn daughter.
Director: Jason Reitman | Stars: Charlize Theron, Patrick Wilson, Patton Oswalt, Elizabeth Reaser
Votes: 87,938 | Gross: $16.31M
7. Swimming Pool (2003)
R | 102 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
A British mystery author visits her publisher's home in the South of France, where her interaction with his unusual daughter sets off some touchy dynamics.
Director: François Ozon | Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Charles Dance, Ludivine Sagnier, Jean-Marie Lamour
Votes: 48,357 | Gross: $10.11M
8. The Hours (2002)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama, Romance
The story of how the novel "Mrs. Dalloway" affects three generations of women, all of whom, in one way or another, have had to deal with suicide in their lives.
Director: Stephen Daldry | Stars: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Stephen Dillane
Votes: 138,530 | Gross: $41.68M
9. The Sweet Hereafter (1997)
R | 112 min | Drama
A bus crash in a small town brings a lawyer to defend the families, but he discovers everything isn't what it seems.
Director: Atom Egoyan | Stars: Ian Holm, Sarah Polley, Caerthan Banks, Tom McCamus
Votes: 36,740 | Gross: $3.25M
10. Take This Waltz (2011)
R | 116 min | Comedy, Drama
A happily married woman falls for the artist who lives across the street.
Director: Sarah Polley | Stars: Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Sarah Silverman, Aaron Abrams
Votes: 30,291 | Gross: $1.24M
11. Female Perversions (1996)
R | 120 min | Drama, Fantasy, Thriller
An ambitious female attorney wallows in excess and meaningless sex with both male and female partners, while dealing with her personal life problems including helping her kleptomaniac sister.
Director: Susan Streitfeld | Stars: Tilda Swinton, Amy Madigan, Karen Sillas, Frances Fisher
Votes: 2,642 | Gross: $0.88M
12. Anatomy of Hell (2004)
Unrated | 77 min | Drama
A woman employs a gay man to spend four nights at her house to watch her when she's "unwatchable".
Director: Catherine Breillat | Stars: Amira Casar, Rocco Siffredi, Alexandre Belin, Manuel Taglang
Votes: 6,149
13. Searching for Debra Winger (2002)
R | 99 min | Documentary
Rosanna Arquette talks to various actresses about the pressures they face as women working in the entertainment industry.
Director: Rosanna Arquette | Stars: Patricia Arquette, Rosanna Arquette, Emmanuelle Béart, Katrin Cartlidge
Votes: 1,237
14. Top of the Lake (2013–2017)
TV-MA | 750 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Obsessed with the disappearance of a 12-year-old pregnant girl near a freezing lake in New Zealand, a brave detective will find herself up against small-town secrets and a side of herself that was meticulously kept at bay.
Stars: Elisabeth Moss, David Wenham, Peter Mullan, Thomas M. Wright
Votes: 37,727
15. Dancing at the Blue Iguana (2000)
R | 123 min | Drama, Mystery
A non-glamorous portrayal of the lives of people who make their living at a strip club.
Director: Michael Radford | Stars: Charlotte Ayanna, Daryl Hannah, Kristin Bauer, W. Earl Brown
Votes: 4,142 | Gross: $0.03M
16. The Night Porter (1974)
R | 118 min | Drama
A concentration camp survivor rekindles her sadomasochistic relationship with her lover, a former SS officer - now working as a night porter at a Vienna hotel - but his former Nazi associates begin stalking them.
Director: Liliana Cavani | Stars: Dirk Bogarde, Charlotte Rampling, Philippe Leroy, Gabriele Ferzetti
Votes: 14,724 | Gross: $0.63M
17. Malena (2000)
R | 108 min | Drama, Romance, War
Amidst the war climate, a teenage boy discovering himself becomes love-stricken by Malèna, a sensual woman living in a small, narrow-minded Italian town.
Director: Giuseppe Tornatore | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Giuseppe Sulfaro, Luciano Federico, Matilde Piana
Votes: 112,032 | Gross: $3.45M
18. Irreversible (2002)
Not Rated | 97 min | Crime, Drama, Mystery
Events over the course of one traumatic night in Paris unfold in reverse-chronological order as the beautiful Alex is brutally raped and beaten by a stranger in an underpass tunnel.
Director: Gaspar Noé | Stars: Monica Bellucci, Vincent Cassel, Albert Dupontel, Philippe Nahon
Votes: 147,691 | Gross: $0.75M
19. Me and You and Everyone We Know (2005)
R | 91 min | Comedy, Drama
A lonely shoe salesman and an eccentric performance artist struggle to connect in this unique take on contemporary life.
Director: Miranda July | Stars: John Hawkes, Miranda July, Miles Thompson, Brandon Ratcliff
Votes: 37,429 | Gross: $3.89M
20. Lost in Translation (2003)
R | 102 min | Comedy, Drama
A faded movie star and a neglected young woman form an unlikely bond after crossing paths in Tokyo.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Bill Murray, Scarlett Johansson, Giovanni Ribisi, Anna Faris
Votes: 489,219 | Gross: $44.59M
21. The Virgin Suicides (1999)
R | 97 min | Drama, Romance
A group of male friends become obsessed with five mysterious sisters who are sheltered by their strict, religious parents in suburban Detroit in the mid 1970s.
Director: Sofia Coppola | Stars: Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, James Woods, Kathleen Turner
Votes: 169,256 | Gross: $4.86M
22. After the Wedding (2006)
R | 120 min | Drama
A manager of an orphanage in India is sent to Copenhagen, Denmark, where he discovers a life-altering family secret.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Mads Mikkelsen, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Rolf Lassgård, Neeral Mulchandani
Votes: 37,104 | Gross: $0.41M
23. Brothers (2004)
R | 117 min | Drama, War
Two brothers must negotiate changing roles and shifting family dynamics when one is sent to war in Afghanistan.
Director: Susanne Bier | Stars: Ulrich Thomsen, Nikolaj Lie Kaas, Connie Nielsen, Sarah Juel Werner
Votes: 11,816 | Gross: $0.38M
24. Walking and Talking (1996)
R | 86 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Just as Amelia thinks she's over her anxiety and insecurity, her best friend announces her engagement, bringing her anxiety and insecurity right back.
Director: Nicole Holofcener | Stars: Catherine Keener, Anne Heche, Amy Braverman, Miranda Rhyne
Votes: 3,939 | Gross: $1.28M
25. Thirteen (2003)
R | 100 min | Drama
A thirteen-year-old girl's relationship with her mother is put to the test as she discovers drugs, sex, and petty crime in the company of her cool but troubled best friend.
Director: Catherine Hardwicke | Stars: Evan Rachel Wood, Holly Hunter, Nikki Reed, Vanessa Hudgens
Votes: 98,050 | Gross: $4.60M
26. Friends with Money (2006)
R | 88 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
After she quits her lucrative job, Olivia finds herself unsure about her future and her relationships with her successful and wealthy friends.
Director: Nicole Holofcener | Stars: Jennifer Aniston, Frances McDormand, Catherine Keener, Joan Cusack
Votes: 32,120 | Gross: $13.37M
27. The Look (I) (2011)
Not Rated | 99 min | Documentary
CHARLOTTE RAMPLING: THE LOOK features Charlotte Rampling in a series of reflective conversations with artists, friends, and one-time collaborators such as novelist Paul Auster and ... See full summary »
Director: Angelina Maccarone | Stars: Charlotte Rampling, Peter Lindbergh, Paul Auster, Barnaby Southcombe
Votes: 326 | Gross: $0.02M
28. We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011)
R | 112 min | Drama, Mystery, Thriller
Kevin's mother struggles to love her strange child despite the increasingly dangerous things he says and does as he grows up. But Kevin is just getting started, and his final act will be beyond anything anyone imagined.
Director: Lynne Ramsay | Stars: Tilda Swinton, John C. Reilly, Ezra Miller, Jasper Newell
Votes: 167,791 | Gross: $1.74M
29. A Map of the World (1999)
R | 125 min | Drama
A woman's life falls apart after she's blamed for an accident on her property.
Director: Scott Elliott | Stars: Sigourney Weaver, Julianne Moore, Dara Perlmutter, David Strathairn
Votes: 4,642 | Gross: $0.54M
30. Away from Her (2006)
PG-13 | 110 min | Drama
A man coping with the institutionalization of his wife because of Alzheimer's disease faces an epiphany when she transfers her affections to another man, Aubrey, a wheelchair-bound mute who also is a patient at the nursing home.
Director: Sarah Polley | Stars: Julie Christie, Michael Murphy, Gordon Pinsent, Stacey LaBerge
Votes: 23,085 | Gross: $4.57M
31. Guinevere (1999)
R | 104 min | Drama, Romance
A young girl from an affluent family rebels and becomes involved with a much older photographer.
Director: Audrey Wells | Stars: Sarah Polley, Stephen Rea, Jean Smart, Gina Gershon
Votes: 2,741 | Gross: $0.61M
32. The Center of the World (2001)
Unrated | 88 min | Drama, Romance
A successful computer engineer meets a stripper in a cafe. He offers her $10,000 and she offers three days and nights of no penetration in Vegas.
Director: Wayne Wang | Stars: Shane Edelman, Balthazar Getty, Molly Parker, Peter Sarsgaard
Votes: 5,211 | Gross: $1.10M
33. Sleeping Beauty (2011)
TV-14 | 101 min | Drama, Mystery, Romance
A haunting portrait of Lucy, a young university student drawn into a mysterious hidden world of unspoken desires.
Director: Julia Leigh | Stars: Emily Browning, Rachael Blake, Ewen Leslie, Bridgette Barrett
Votes: 34,635 | Gross: $0.04M
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