The world is not unaware of the magic that can be created when women support one another, be it as friends, family, colleagues or even strangers. This phenomenon has also been captured on celluloid in various interesting ways. Here is a list of 8 movies that depict the beautiful relationship that women share with one another.
Women's friendships can range from intimate to competitive to sisterly to exhilarating. But there is one thing that cannot be questioned about them: They are necessary. It is crucial for women to help one another and to build one other up. Teenage friendships can be even more crucial in a patriarchal society that is keen to impose its values on young girls. An ideal genre to watch childhood closest friends is the high school movie. However, other movies also emphasise the value of mature women's relationships. Many depict gossip and cattiness as bad clichés, but even in the most problematic female friendships, women are more likely than males to understand and sympathise with one another. In light of this, here are eight of the best movies that depict the highs and lows of female friendship.
Crossroads (2002)
Childhood friends Lucy, Mimi, and Kit created and buried a "wish box" that they would dig up after graduating high school. But as they grew older, they drifted apart. They make the decision to follow their word on graduation night, crack open the box, and start to recall the strength of their connection. The three set out on a road trip to locate Lucy's mother, take Mimi to an audition, and let Kit visit her fiancé because they are determined to support one another as they go into their next phase of life.
Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood (2002)
Four little girls mature into adult women, yet their commitment to the YaYa Sisterhood, lead by Viviane, remains. Siddalee, Viviane's daughter, talks to a reporter about her difficult upbringing now that they have their own kids. Viviane is incensed and unhappy after learning about her daughter's unfavourable account of her childhood and declares war on Siddalee. When the YaYa Sisterhood learns of this issue, they decide to reconnect mother and daughter—for better or worse.
Baby Mama (2008)
A single working mother employs a surrogate to bear her long-desired child. Over the course of nine months, Kate and Angie come to see exactly how unique their relationship has become, despite their potential differences.
The Help (2011)
In the South of the 1960s, hostilities are fierce between wealthy white families and "the help." Fellow maids help one another in their fight for respect in this historical drama set during the Civil Rights era. Cross-class friendships and one feisty, white female reporter shake things up for the better.
Bridesmaids (2011)
Even though Annie may have a difficult time financially sponsoring Lillian's wedding, in the end they both gain a few new acquaintances and realise they can always count on one another. The movie Bridesmaids tells us that tearing women down in order to succeed can be harmful competition.
Frances Ha (2012)
The movie Frances Ha depicts the suffering caused by breaking up with a lady friend. Greta Gerwig, a twenty-something New Yorker, is still hurting over the supposed death of her best friend and former roommate Sophie. Frances is lonely in that big-city sense that comes only after losing a friend since Sophie has moved out, moved on, and is smitten with her new boyfriend. She had Sophie as her rock, her confidant, and her late-night snacking companion, and a relationship with a man just cannot replace her. This charming black-and-white film offers a nuanced, endearing perspective on the ambition and boredom of today's youth.
The Falling (2014)
In some ways, Carol Morley's most recent film, which is set in a rural English girls' school in the year 1969, updates the "female hysteria" subgenre. Shades of Picnic at Hanging Rock and Carrie can be seen when the teenage girls have a series of inexplicable fainting spells. However, Morley explores the idea of women's collective powerlessness in a way that the majority of films on the subject that are directed by males won't. The Falling, which stars Maisie Williams and Florence Pugh as best friends who appear to be at the centre of the bizarre happenings, demonstrates how social influence can spread emotion and how women are naturally bonded enough to display even the most peculiar common symptoms.
Hidden Figures (2016)
Sisterhood and development go hand in hand in the Oscar-nominated, worldwide smash hit Hidden Figures. The movie follows the professional lives of three real Black women who worked for NASA as engineers and physicists, contributing to the development of the space race. The movie, which stars Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monáe, and Octavia Spencer, is surprisingly uplifting to watch owing to the chemistry and charisma of the starring ladies. Theodore Melfi, the director, is aware of the women's silent exchanges of sighs and sideways glances during the segregated workplace era. This is a rare—and even rarer—happy—portrait of a historical female friendship involving people of colour.
What We Can Learn from Films About Strong Women
Each of the aforementioned movies offers an intriguing viewpoint on female friendships and what it means to be famous and successful. Contrary to popular assumption, these "chick-flicks" are more about independence, the relationships between friends, and the desire for achievement that goes beyond the surface.
In many respects, these women also appear to defy preconceptions. These movies defy stereotypes by showing that women from various social groups and walks of life can maintain friendships even after growing apart over time.
Although some of these films do feature elements of resentment, manipulation, rivalry, or revenge, each group of women either "grows out of it" or learns the true importance of supporting one another, and that is vital for young women to watch.
