3 Movies With A Strong Feminist Message

March 8 is International Women’s Day. On that day in 1908, a large group of women took to the streets with their feminist message. On this day, those women made history. Nothing would be the same after this day.

Those women decided to speak out because they all have to deal with inequality, violence and a glass ceiling, among other things. They all live under the same oppression.

The following films tell the story of three women and their struggle to get ahead in a male-dominated world. A world that stigmatizes, attacks and treats them disrespectfully. The women in these films arm themselves with courage and courage.

A woman under the influence , a feminist message for women’s mental health

This film was directed by John Cassavetes, one of the most acclaimed independent film directors in North America. He deals with the difficult situation a family is going through by the matriarch, Mabel. The majestic Gena Rowlands plays Mabel. She won a Golden Globe for Best Actress and received an Oscar nomination for this role.

The film shows Mabel expressing herself in a peculiar way and having some sudden tics, but never being violent or threatening. Peter Falk plays her husband, Nick, who is a construction worker. He has the feeling that something is wrong with Mabel.

In a testosterone-filled environment, Mabel prepares food and serves guests to make sure everyone is comfortable. She makes sure everything is in order. Her behavior is a bit odd because she can’t control her kindness. However, she always tries to make everyone feel good.

However, Nick never stops criticizing her behavior, yelling at her, and undermining everything she does. He humiliates her in front of everyone and has absolutely no respect for her space or the way she expresses herself in the world.

Her environment

Without spoiling the film, we can say that the people around her are not used to such a peculiar personality, a personality full of kindness, sensitivity and love for her family. Her reactions are therefore extreme because her husband’s behavior is inconsistent and stifling.

Nick doesn’t know how to treat his wife. He contradicts himself when he talks to her, looks at her and interacts with her. Mabel is imprisoned in those areas.

This is because the person who tells her he loves her the most is the same person who stigmatizes her in front of others. Perhaps he and the others think that a woman who expresses herself that way must be seriously insane.

This is where the strong feminist message comes in. The children, who have experienced the prejudice that the adults have, adore the way their mother is. They love her idiosyncrasy and intense love. Perhaps the influence Mabel suffers from is ignorance and machismo, not a psychiatric problem.

Alanis,  a feminist message of self-reliance

Alanis (Sofía Gala Castiglione) is an Argentine prostitute and mother who works in her apartment with her roommate Gisela. One day, Gisela and Alanis are arrested by the police and evicted from the apartment. She now has to find a place to sleep for her and her son.

She does everything from the start to survive, she even takes her son to her clients’ homes. Her situation is of course nerve-wracking, but she doesn’t seem to realize it herself. With astonishing stoicism and stamina, Alanis does what she has to do. She has no time to stop and think about her situation. She must survive.

Alanis pays no attention to messages that victimize, insult or tell her she is a bad mother. No one has given her anything in her life, but she doesn’t want recognition either. She just wants to feel that she is in control of her own life and that she can take care of her son.

Alanis is simply not interested in changing her life. She really doesn’t know what she wants in life. Instead of feeling sorry for her, we’re just speechless.

She only thinks about the present, to make it as bearable as possible. She also doesn’t want to explain anything to anyone. This is the feminist message in this film.

He is controversial and direct, because he gives no room to put her in a victim role, or to stigmatize her. Alanis lives her life and does not care about the opinion of others. She is sure of who she is and does not play games.

Paulina, a feminist message about independence

Paulina (Dolores Fonzi) is a woman who has everything. She comes from a good family in Buenos Aires and has a promising future professionally. Paulina has a boyfriend and a father who love her very much.

She has aspirations, although she is the daughter of a wealthy lawyer. Paulina dreams of doing something that can actually improve people’s lives. She wants to be on the front line, fight.

So she decides to teach at a school in a poor area in Argentina, where there is a lot of violence and unemployment. She knows these people need her. Everyone thinks this is a phase Paulina is going through and that it is temporary, but she is determined to help others.

The plot twist

When she gets there, she is very excited and challenged by an environment unknown to her. One evening, after a few drinks with a friend, Paulina returns home on her motorbike.

On the way there, some men attack and rape her. From here on, most of the audience will start to feel uncomfortable with Paulina’s decisions.

She goes back to work and begins to investigate who did this to her and why. After discovering she’s pregnant, Paulina makes an unexpected decision that causes those around her to lose patience.

Paulina is a woman who makes her own decisions. This is the feminist message of this film. Although people believe that all women behave the same way, there are thousands of women who follow their own path. They don’t expect validation from anyone.