Representation of Female Characters in Films

Because today is International Women's Day (March 8th), I've decided to publish a post about my favourite female characters from film. One of the forms of entertainment can come from watching films and, it may come as a surprise to some, those films can have an impact on our opinions and our outlook on life. It's important that the films we watch represent women in a appropriate way. Too many female characters are written off simply as the love interest and/or too thinly developed to even be portrayed as a real person. Fortunately, we've seen a lot of strong female characters in a wide range of films including Katniss Everdeen from The Hunger Games franchise, Princess Leia from the Star Wars franchise, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson from Hidden Figures and Moana from Moana. These characters and films prove that women can be strong, independent individuals and develop into a three-dimensional character. 

Katniss Everdeen - The Hunger Games franchise (2012-2015)

I remember, before I watched The Hunger Games, I thought that women couldn't be like male protagonists in action films and drive fast cars and do impressive stunts. I think that was because I'd grown up with a lot of films where the man was the main character and women were nothing more than a love interest for him. It was because of this, whilst watching the trailer for The Hunger Games, I was surprised to see a female take the leading role. It was refreshing to see and I read the books to learn more about Katniss Everdeen and see what type of character she was. In the books, she's portrayed as a determined, young woman who, after taking her sister's place to fight in the violent titular games, develops into a strong heroine over the course of the three books. In the films, she's portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence and she captures that determination and strength perfectly. She's everything you could want in a female protagonist. Katniss also has some great skills including using a bow and arrow and climbing high trees which help her to survive the games. Katniss and The Hunger Games films made me believe that women can be strong, fierce and independent and more than a love interest for the main character.

Michelle - 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016)

Michelle is probably one of the most underrated characters on this list but I think that she is worth a mention because, despite being trapped in a horrific situation, she remains brave and strong throughout. This is the sequel to the 2008 horror/thriller, Cloverfield, which I didn't enjoy, mainly because of the shaky hand-held camera which made it hard to focus. It was a clever idea that worked because the film focused on a group of New York citizens who struggle to survive after a large monster attacks. It made sense that a character would have a hand-held camera but, if I was in that person's position, I wouldn't be documenting the whole thing, I'd probably drop the camera and mainly focus on surviving. This is why I avoided 10 Cloverfield Lane, however, after being persuaded by my mum (who loved the first film), I watched it. Unfortunately, because I thought I definitely was never going to see this film, I read the entire plot synopsis online. I do think that, if I hadn't have read the entire plot, 10 Cloverfield Lane would've been more unpredictable. Fortunately, I still enjoyed this thriller sequel a lot more than its predecessor and that was mainly because of Mary Elizabeth Winstead's character, Michelle, who is at the center of the film's narrative. The film opens with her being in a car accident and waking up in an underground bunker. After realising her situation, she reaches for her phone and immediately tries to ring but there's no signal. Suddenly, a man enters the room and introduces himself as Howard (John Goodman). He informs her that there's been a apocalyptic catastrophe and the outside world is uninhabitable. Because of Goodman's performance, Howard is an terrifying character and someone we wouldn't want to be left alone with. However, there's another person living in the bunker and that's Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) who is a lot more friendlier and has an optimistic outlook on the situation. Of the three characters, it's Winstead's Michelle who stands out. She never gives up on escaping the claustrophobic bunker and, over the course of the film, makes discoveries and learns the truth about Howard. It's refreshing to see a woman actually remain brave instead of freaking out and screaming. This film is definitely a must-see for fans of thriller and for Winstead's strong leading performance as Michelle.

Princess Leia - The Star Wars franchise (1977-2017)

Sadly, just a few months ago in December 2016, Carrie Fisher tragically passed away. She was best known for portraying Princess Leia in five of the Star Wars film (including the latest episode which is due to be released later this year). While it was very easy for her to be written off as a love interest for Han Solo (Harrison Ford), Princess Leia became more than that. She is unlike any other princesses I've seen in film. Leia is brave, feisty and fierce and, over the course of the three films, develops into a true heroine. She also isn't afraid to speak up and say what she truly thinks and is a match for Han Solo, who is a cocky pilot. We also see in Return of the Jedi that she has a kind heart when she befriends the Ewoks on their home planet. Because there's a major battle going on in space, Leia is quick to defend herself from evil Stormtroopers using a gun. It's because of all this and the Star Wars films that Princess Leia will always be a major icon in, not only science-fiction, films in general. Despite Carrie Fisher's tragic death, Princess Leia will always live on and be one of the best representation of women in films.

Ellen Ripley - The Aliens franchise (1979-1997)

Like Princess Leia, Sigourney Weaver's Ellen Ripley is an icon in the science-fiction genre. In the first film in the Aliens franchise, Alien, Ellen is just seen as another member of a crew that's travelling out in space. However, she soon develops into a heroine after an alien is born on the ship and starts killing and eating almost the entire crew. This doesn't stop Ellen from doing whatever it takes in order to survive. This is what makes her an admirable protagonist. Fortunately, she survives the traumatic ordeal and this is what leads to the sequel, Aliens. Ellen is the only survivor and goes back out into space with a new crew. However, also joining the crew is a young girl, Newt (Cassie Henn), whose family were killed by aliens. This is where we see Ellen's motherly side come out as she does everything to protect Newt. Unfortunately, towards the end of the film, Newt is kidnapped by the queen alien leading to Ellen getting a forklift powerloader and saying one of the most famous lines in science-fiction history, "Get away from her, you bitch!". It's a truly memorable scene and one of the reasons why Ellen Ripley is one of the most iconic characters.

Dorothea, Julie and Abbie - 20th Century Women (2017)

20th Century Women focuses on, as you might expect, on three different women living in the 1970s. These are Dorothea (Annette Bening), Julie (Elle Fanning) and Abbie (Greta Gerwig). Dorothea is struggling to raise her teenage son, Jamie (Lucas Jade Zumann) so she decides to enlist the help of Julie and Abbie. At first, they're confused and Julie even asks 'Don't you need a man to raise a man?'. 20th Century Women proves that no, you don't necessarily need a man to raise a man. All three women help Jamie grow and have a better outlook on life and teach him numerous things. What I loved most about this film was that all three of these women are so different. In one scene, when all the characters are at the dining table, Abbie opens up about being on her menstrual cycle. This disgusts Dorothea, however, Abbie soon gets the entire table to say 'menstruation'. It's one of the film's funniest scenes and it's refreshing to see a woman that isn't embarrassed to admit to being on her menstrual cycle. It's no surprise that a film with the title, 20th Century Women, showcases three diverse women who aren't ashamed to be themselves. It's an underrated film that is worth watching.

Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson and Katherine Johnson - Hidden Figures (2017)

Almost everyone knows the story of John Glenn and his famous journey into space that turned into a historical event but what about the people behind his mission? Those people were a group of females who all worked out his launch and landing and successfully calculated his flight trajectories. The titular characters are Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer), Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson). All three women overcame racism, sexism and discrimination in order to become one of the most successful women in history which makes them even more admirable. They don't let any of those obstacles stand in their way which makes Hidden Figures more enjoyable to watch. One of the characters that stands out is Katherine Johnson, played brilliantly by Henson. Despite her colleagues' opinion of her, she proves that she is smart and isn't afraid to stand up for herself. This is proven in one scene when she makes a powerful speech after running to another building in order to use the coloured bathroom. Because she spoke up about how she truly felt, her boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner), changed the rules and allowed her to use the bathroom in the same building as where she works. Meanwhile, Mary Jackson begins taking night classes in order become the first black female engineer. In the classes, she stands out because she's the only person of colour and woman there. This doesn't stop her, in fact, it only empowers her and she proves that women are capable of being smart as men. Dorothy Vaughan is a strong-minded individual and went on to become the first black female supervisor of the Programming Department. It's because of these three women why Hidden Figures is a powerful film. 

Moana - Moana (2016)

In 2013, Disney proved that the bond between two sisters is more powerful than the love of a man in Frozen. And, now, their latest animated film, Moana, showcases the titular character who is determined to save her island. Moana (Auli'i Cravalho) is a sea voyaging enthusiast and the only daughter of a chief in a long line of navigators. When her island's fishermen can't catch any fish and the crops fail, she learns that the demigod Maui caused the blight by stealing the heart of the goddess, Te Whiti. The only way to heal the island is to persuade Maui (Dwayne Johnson) to return Te Whiti's heart, so Moana sets off on an epic journey across the Pacific. Despite the many obstacles that stand in her way, Moana overcomes them and develops into a brave and fearless heroine. She's probably the first Disney female character not to have a forced love interest. Her relationship with Maui is nothing more than a brother/sister-type relationship. At first, Maui is arrogant and cocky but he soon helps Moana and develops a friendly bond with her that can never be broken. It's because of Moana, her strength and fearlessness why this film is entertaining and enjoyable to watch. She's an admirable character and one of the best representations of female characters in animated films. 

Chihiro - Spirited Away (2001)

Being lost in a strange place can be frightening to anyone but it's even worse when you're a child. The protagonist in Studio Ghibli's Spirited Away is 10-year-old Chihiro who, whilst moving house with her parents, ends up in a strange world that is inhabited by gods, witches and spirits. At first, Chihiro is terrified and doesn't know what to do. Fortunately, she is helped by a boy named Haku who tells her that she must work in the bath house in order to survive. This leads to her meeting the terrifying witch, Yubaba, and signs a contract and changes her name to Sen. Despite being trapped in a world filled with scary creatures, Sen develops into a brave individual. She also proves to be smart which makes her even more likable. She is accepting of her situation and works hard in the bath house. This is why I enjoy watching Studio Ghibli films as the majority of them feature a strong female character. Other examples include Princess Mononoke, Howl's Moving Castle and Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind. Studio Ghibli films are incredibly underrated and are worth watching as they always tell a powerful story that feature interesting characters. 

So those are some of my favourite representations of female characters in film.

Happy International Women's Day!