FemResThe Living Review

Media index

Gender PoliticsFilms

11
items
01

Films · Sep 2024

The Substance

Coralie Fargeat

A body horror film directed by Coralie Fargeat, starring Demi Moore and Margaret Qualley. Following washed-up actress Elisabeth who, after being fired due to ageism, uses a mysterious drug to create a younger, perfect version of herself. Through extreme body horror aesthetics, the film deeply explores crucial issues including ageism, beauty standards, body politics, female self-hatred, and patriarchal control over women's bodies, becoming a representative work of contemporary feminist horror cinema.

02

Films · Aug 2024

Blink Twice

Zoë Kravitz

Zoë Kravitz's directorial debut, a psychological thriller starring Naomi Ackie and Channing Tatum. Following cocktail waitress Frida who is invited to tech billionaire Slater King's private island vacation, only to discover the men on the island are plotting sinister activities. The film deeply explores crucial issues including power abuse, sexual violence, collective trauma, female solidarity, and elite corruption, showcasing women's awakening and resistance when facing systemic oppression.

03

Films · Jul 2024

MaXXXine

Ti West

The concluding chapter of Ti West's X trilogy, with Mia Goth returning as Maxine Minx. Set in 1985 Los Angeles, Maxine transitions from adult film star to pursuing mainstream Hollywood acting career while facing threats from a serial killer. The film deeply explores crucial issues including women's survival struggles in the entertainment industry, sex work destigmatization, Hollywood power structures, and how women fight for autonomy in male-dominated industries.

04

Films · May 2024

All We Imagine As Light

Payal Kapadia

A groundbreaking work by Indian director Payal Kapadia, this historic masterpiece won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival. Following three women of different ages - Prabha, Anu, and Parvaty - working together at a hospital in Mumbai, it explores their complex personal lives and the power of their mutually supportive friendship. With its poetic visual language, the film deeply examines crucial themes including female friendship, intergenerational solidarity, identity formation in urban development, and gender politics in modern India.

05

Films · Sep 2023

Poor Things

Yorgos Lanthimos

A surrealist fantasy drama directed by Yorgos Lanthimos and starring Emma Stone. Adapted from Alasdair Gray's novel, it follows the extraordinary evolution journey of Bella Baxter, a young woman brought back to life through brain transplantation in Victorian times. The film explores profound themes of female sexual autonomy, body politics, social liberation, and personal awakening through richly imaginative visual language, becoming a significant representative work of contemporary feminist cinema.

06

Films · Aug 2023

Anatomy of a Fall

Anatomie d'une chuteJustine Triet

A gripping courtroom drama dissecting a marriage, truth, and gender roles through the trial of a woman accused of her husband's murder. Winner of the Palme d'Or.

07

Films · Nov 2022

She Said

Maria Schrader

A journalism drama directed by Maria Schrader, starring Carey Mulligan and Zoe Kazan. Adapted from the non-fiction book by New York Times reporters Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, following their investigation that exposed Harvey Weinstein's sexual assault scandal. The film deeply explores important issues including the #MeToo movement, gender politics in journalism, the power of women's testimony, and the courage needed to break silence.

08

Films · Sep 2021

Happening

L'ÉvénementAudrey Diwan

Adapted from Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux's autobiographical novel, following a 23-year-old French university student's desperate and dangerous journey seeking abortion in 1960s France when it was illegal. Directed by Audrey Diwan, this award-winning film deeply explores reproductive autonomy, body politics, class inequality, and women's predicament in patriarchal society, becoming a powerful testimony to contemporary women's rights struggles.

09

Films · Aug 2018

The Favourite

Yorgos Lanthimos

Set in 18th-century British court, the power game between Queen Anne and two women - Sarah Churchill and Abigail Hill. This dark comedy explores complex themes of female power, gender politics, female friendship and competition through gorgeous visual style and sharp satire, challenging traditional gender role expectations.

10

Films · Sep 2017

Battle of the Sexes

Valerie Faris & Jonathan Dayton

A biographical sports drama centered on the famous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs. Emma Stone portrays tennis legend Billie Jean King, while Steve Carell plays former tennis champion Bobby Riggs. The film deeply explores crucial issues including sports equality, equal pay, women's rights, and LGBTQ+ identity, showcasing a historic showdown that changed both sports history and the trajectory of the women's rights movement.

11

Films · Sep 2009

Jennifer's Body

Karyn Kusama

High school cheerleader Jennifer becomes possessed by a demon after being sacrificed by a male band seeking fame, then begins hunting the town's men. This initially misunderstood horror-comedy gained critical reappraisal during the MeToo era, recognized as a feminist horror film ahead of its time that explores toxic masculinity, complex female friendship, and gender violence under patriarchy.