Identity FormationFilms

Olivia Wilde's directorial debut revolutionizes the high school comedy genre, following two academic overachievers who decide to cram four years of fun into one wild night before graduation. This self-aware coming-of-age comedy explores female friendship, academic pressure, sexual identity, and teenage identity formation through an inclusive lens.

Director Maryam Keshavarz's coming-of-age drama focuses on a wealthy Iranian family, particularly headstrong teenager Atafeh whose relationship with her friend Shireen evolves from friendship into romance and even eroticism, alongside her brother's journey from recovering drug addict to religious extremist. This vibrant exploration of sexual rebellion showcases high school protagonists confronting patriarchal oppression, culminating in a penetrating examination of women's treatment under Iranian theocracy.

Girls aren't allowed to be Whangara chiefs. But that's not acceptable to Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes), the 11-year-old powerhouse who believes her destiny is to ride whales and lead her tribe. Courage, leadership, and defiance are all at play in this Kiwi drama from Niki Caro.

A "way existential" 1990s time capsule of fashion, pop culture, and Valley girl verbiage, Amy Heckerling's rom-com riff on Jane Austen's Emma celebrates female friendship and sexuality, and it puts a woman's self-fulfillment above finding a man. Even if "fulfillment" technically includes finding a man.

Feminism isn't just about women kicking ass - it's also about allowing us the freedom to be who we want. For the protagonist sisters in Gillian Armstrong's adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's novel, that means a writer, a musician, a housewife, and a free spirit.

Canadian avant-garde cinema mostly seen and analyzed by college students, Patricia Rozema's fairy-tale whimsy, about an artist on her journey to self-discovery, is one you should seek out - particularly because it's made by a fantastic team of women.

A bored housewife becomes fascinated by the free-spirited lifestyle of mysterious Susan and embarks on an adventure of mistaken identity. This 1980s film by a female director uses humor and wit to explore themes of female identity, self-discovery, and breaking free from social constraints.

A romp through a Catholic girls' school courtesy of a pair of mischievous teens, this Hayley Mills classic is all about sisterhood. But the real feminism is happening behind the lens: Ida Lupino, the sole working female director of the '50s, was blazing a trail for the women who would follow.

Released in 1940, this Howard Hawks rom-com still resonates with progressive themes today. It stars Rosalind Russell as Hildy, a star journalist who has her own ideas about what she wants for her life (traditional and non-) and isn't going to let her boss-slash-husband, played by Cary Grant, get in the way.