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International Women’s Day, in one form or another, has existed since around 1909—placing the holiday’s inception roughly in line with the early days of film. It seems fitting, then, to take a look at movies that examine and celebrate the accomplishments (and trials) of real women in history. This isn’t an exhaustive list of movies about women who’ve changed the world (or at least changed their worlds), and there are plenty of very important women whose lives have never been touched by filmmakers (and others, sadly, with movies that aren’t streaming—I’m looking at you Hypatia of Alexandria and Agora). But, like International Women’s Day itself: It’s a start.
Colette (2018)
Rural village girl Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (played by Keira Knightley) begins an affair with Henry Gauthier-Villars, the author known only, absurdly, as “Willy.” He supplements his income by hiring ghostwriters to produce works to be released under his more bankable name and, when he realizes that Colette isn’t without storytelling talent of her own, he comes to see her as a source of free material for the Willy brand. As her works become increasingly successful, Colette finds herself unwilling to be locked in a closet toiling for her husband, instead coming to assert her own artistic (and sexual) agency as one of the most important French writers of the last couple of centuries. Her ultimate independence and popularity among women readers helped to change the ways in which books are marketed while also broadening the range of topics (including a lot more sex, and not all of it straight) about which women could be seen to discuss in print. You can stream Colette on Prime Video.
There’s nothing easy about orbital mechanics (I’m told—I count on my fingers), and Hidden Figures tells a story of math involving three women: Katherine Goble Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe). Long neglected by history books, Hidden Figures dramatizes the stories of the Black women who performed complex calculations in an era before computers, and then became expert programmers once machines were introduced. Their calculations put John Glenn into space. You can rent Hidden Figures from Prime Video.
Norma Rae (1979)
Sally Field (who won an Oscar) plays the title’s Norma Rae Webster, based pretty squarely on real-life union organizer Crystal Lee Sutton. A factory worker in North Carolina is fired for running off a union sign on the company printer, leading to the climactic, indelible moment when she brings the factory to a complete standstill. One of the most memorable moments in American movie history—when Norma Rae stops the factory with her hand-scribbled “union” sign—is straight from history, and it made Sutton a labor icon. You can stream Norma Rae on Watch TCM.
Live Nude Girls Unite! (2000)
Sex work is work, and workers in the industry face challenges both universal and unique in fighting for wages or improved conditions. In the late 1990s, the staff at the Lusty Lady, a San Francisco peep show, were faced with arbitrary wage policies, racism, and lacked even the most basic job perks while dealing with problem customers without management support. When the staff threatened a strike, management wouldn’t even concede that what the women did was a real job; as though they were doing it for fun. So they got organized, resulting in a truly groundbreaking moment in labor history, even if sex workers still struggle for recognition. Filmmaker Julia Query actually worked at the club and brings a sharp insider’s perspective to this documentary. You can stream Live Nude Girls Unite! on Kanopy or rent it from Prime Video.
On the Basis of Sex (2018)
Felicity Jones stars as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who, later in life, became the Supreme Court Justice most likely to appear on a T-shirt. The consequences of the end of Ginsburg’s career are very much present, but the movie takes us back to the very beginning, with the Harvard law-school student caring for her ailing husband and young daughter while studying. Despite graduating at the top of her class, she’s unable to find work until she’s introduced to case involving a man who was denied a tax deduction for nursing care of his aging mother because the law was limited to either a woman or a husband. Ginsburg came to believe that a precedent in a case involving a man facing sex discrimination could be used in later cases involving women; while it didn’t have quite that impact as precedent, it did lead to changes in law and Ginsburg’s success paved the way for other women in American law. You can stream On the Basis of Sex on Netflix or rent it from Prime Video.
Harriet (2019)
A woman aided by the Underground Railroad system, Harriet Tubman (played here by Cynthia Erivo) quickly became one of its most effective conductors, and is now remembered as the most important single name in the entire operation, an unquestioned leader who approached the quest for freedom with a religious (literally) zeal. Later, she lead soldiers in battle during the Civil War before becoming a leader in the suffragist movement. A $20 bill with her face on it seems like the least we can do, but in the meantime, Kasi Lemmons’ thrilling and heartfelt, if occasionally formulaic, biopic will have to do. You can stream Harriet on Hulu or rent it from Prime Video.
The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928)
Carl Theodor Dreyer’s essential historical drama makes as clear a case as any film does for the distinct power of silent cinema, with Renée Jeanne Falconetti offering one of the medium’s most profound performances. Interrogated by the French clerical court relentlessly about her belief in her own mission from God, Joan remains steadfast even as it seems that the very architecture around her is closing in to damn her. In the end, whether she’s right or wrong, it feels as though Joan’s defiant face is the only authentic thing in her increasingly confined world, and her status as a martyr to women in western religion is made secure. You can stream The Passion of Joan of Arc on Max, Tubi, and The Criterion Channel or rent it from Prime Video.
Suffragette (2015)
Blending real-life figures like Emmaline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) and Emily Davison (Natalie Press) with leads more loosely based on actual suffragettes, the film explores the voting rights movement in Britain of the early 20th century through the eyes of 24-year-old laundry worker Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan). Though only reluctantly caught up in the struggle, Maud gradually becomes radicalized when she witnesses the cost that other women are paying for their activism. Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, and Ben Whishaw make up some of the rest of the impressive cast. You can stream Suffragette on Peacock or rent it from Prime Video.
Madame Curie (1943)
Though there are elements of melodrama here, at least on the surface, this classic Hollywood biopic from director Mervyn LeRoy has a deep appreciation for the hard mental and physical labor involved in scientific breakthroughs. Greer Garson stars as Marie Curie, working alongside her husband, Pierre (Walter Pidgeon) as she begins a study of pitchblende rock that leads her to the discovery of uranium, and that begins a long and intensive process of refining the substance such that its properties can be fully studied. You can rent Madame Curie from Prime Video.
Little Women (2019)
While decidedly not a biography, this specific adaptation of Louisa May Alcott’s 1868 novel does a better job than many biopics at capturing something of the spirit of the author. Played here by Saoirse Ronan, Jo March has always been a bit of a stand-in for the similarly unconventional Alcott, a parallel that director Greta Gerwig takes a step further in the movie’s climax. She deliberately blends the novel’s reality with Alcott’s life story, reminding the viewer that Little Women, while groundbreaking, wasn’t entirely the book that Alcott set out to write. There’s a great biopic about Alcott yet to be made, but, in the meantime, this 2019 adaptation of her most influential work pays tribute to the writer in smart ways. You can rent Little Women from Prime Video.
Barbie (2023)
Sticking with Greta Gerwig for a moment, and on the subject of movies that come at their subjects sideways, Barbie pays tremendous tribute to the doll’s creator Ruth Handler (played here Rhea Perlman), even as the inventor and magnate only gets limited screen time. Set in matriarchal Barbieland, the film finds Margot Robbie’s Barbie doll escaping into the real world to discover both her own worth as an icon and the limitations placed on her that she’s never understood. After a couple of cameos, Ruth shows up in the final act to put a button on her creation’s journey, both in the movie and in the real world. A full-length biopic about the creation of Mattel (and Handler’s IRS issues) could doubtless be fascinating, but couldn’t possibly do a better job of relaying her cultural impact. You can stream Barbie on Netflix and Max or rent it from Prime Video.
The Death and Life of Martha P. Johnson (2017)
Using a belated investigation into Johnson’ mysterious death as a framing device, the film follows activist Victoria Cruz’s exploration of the lives of Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and other key figures in the early days of the gay liberation and trans rights movements. While death is the starting point, the movie focuses on the messy and strident vibrancy of Johnson’s life and work, and speaks to the challenges and sacrifices for the progress that’s been made (and sometimes un-made) in LGBTQIA+ equality. You can stream The Death and Life of Marsha P. Johnson on Netflix.
Queen of Katwe (2016)
A kid from one of Kampala, Uganda’s biggest slums, forced to drop out of school at age nine, Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) had the good fortune to meet chess coach Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) at a young age. This smart, feel-good movie charts her real-life progress to the top of the chess rankings first in Uganda, before she competes globally. It might be a bit early to suggest that Mutesi has changed history (her first Candidate title came in 2012), but she’s certainly providing inspiration for Ugandan women across a number of fields. You can stream Queen of Katwe on Disney+ or rent it from Prime Video.
Frida (2002)
Stepping from the shadow of her, at one time, more famous husband Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), Frida Kahlo became one of Mexico’s most important artists, blending intimate themes with revolutionary ideas and blurring gender lines—as she did in her own life—and chronicling her own disabilities in ways unheard of at the time. She and her art gave voice to a budding Mexican nationalist movement, and her life serves as a reminder that art can move nations at least as powerfully as traditional politics. Salma Hayek stars in this ultra-stylish adaptation from director Julie Taymor, one that earned multiple Academy Award nominations. You can stream Frida on Paramount+ or rent it from Prime Video.
Elizabeth (1998)
Cate Blanchett plays Queen Elizabeth I, a woman of whom you might have heard, a wildly unlikely heir to the throne of England who became the modern British monarchy, securing her country militarily in a fraught time while solidifying a religious framework that’s with us to this day. In many ways, it’s a film about choices: We meet Elizabeth first as a young woman with no expectation of rule, but see that, as she gains power, her options contract rather than expand. Given the enormous pressure to select a husband, and the limitations placed on her choice, she ultimately opts for public celibacy as the “Virgin Queen,” reflecting, in a way, the impossible divide modern women must often navigate between career and family. Women in history are often seen working behind the scenes to change the world but, in Elizabeth, we have someone who very much took center stage. You can stream Elizabeth on Starz or rent it from Prime Video.
The Lady (2011)
Aung San Suu Kyi’s legacy has been complicated by failures of leadership (to say the least) during her later role as State Counsellor of Myanmar, but there’s no question that her impact on the history of that country and its halting moves away from military rule has been immense. The daughter of an independence leader, the movie sees her living a comfortable life in England before being drawn into the politics of her homeland, becoming a leader and figurehead for independence and democracy. Michelle Yeoh gives a thoroughly impressive performance as the complex Nobel laureate. You can stream The Lady on Tubi or rent it from Prime Video.
Battle of the Sexes (2017)
Emma Stone and Steve Carell star here as Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs in the lead-up to the titular “Battle of the Sexes” in 1973. King is a top women’s tennis player, frustrated that the payouts for matches are dramatically lower than anything men would be expected to play for. Riggs, meanwhile, is struggling in his marriage and finances because of a gambling addiction. He hits upon the idea of a flashy, money-making exhibition match with a very reluctant King, reasoning that, even well past his prime, he’s perfectly capable of beating even the best woman player. She’s eventually convinced to join in and the rest is sports (and queer) history. You can rent Battle of the Sexes from Prime Video.
