THE FEMALE GAZE
Written by: Jess Bacon
‘Cinematic masterpiece’ is an epithet often bestowed upon films from male veterans of the craft that triumph at award shows and dominate the box office. Think James Cameron, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Wes Anderson and Martin Scorsese, who are undeniably pioneers of cinema, having incorporated new technologies, different mediums as they established their distinctive style of cinema.
Yet, influential female directors have been rising through the ranks for generations, debuting thought-provoking (often female- led) stories that offer an alternative perspective on male-dominated genres. In 2023 alone, there was a host of enigmatic directorial debuts, with Molly Manning Walker’s How to Have Sex, Justine Triet’s Anatomy of a Fall, and Celine Song’s Past Lives.
Established names like Nia DaCosta and Greta Gerwig have skyrocketed from cherished small-budget films to the helm of multi-million major franchises and delivered billion-dollar successes. This list is crafted with films, directed by women, which continue to endure, find new audiences and stay perpetually relevant with a cultural value that award ceremonies and box-office success don’t guarantee.
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THE PIANO (1993)
If ever a film was testament to the influence of rave reviews and the irrelevance of box office figures it’s Jane Campion’s The Piano. Set in the mid-1800s, the film follows a mute Scottish woman, Ada (Holly Hunter) who relocates to a remote part of New Zealand with her daughter after an arranged marriage. The historical drama is an unconventional love story of a woman and her piano, as she learns to express herself through her instrument. Sam Neill, Anna Paquin and Harvey Keitel round out the cast of the award-winning film that scooped up three Academy Awards.
YOU’VE GOT MAIL (1998)
“I wanted it to be you so badly.” In the late ‘90s, Nora Ephron was ahead of her time with the digital dating romcom, You’ve Got Mail. Believed for its nostalgia served up in quaint bookstores, romanticised views of New York City and the Meg Ryan Fall aesthetic. Kathleen (Ryan) has an independent children’s bookstore, which is threatened with closure when the conglomerate Fox Books (run by Hanks) opens up on the next block. As enemies unknowingly become digital lovers in an anonymous chat room, love flourishes in the unlikeliest of places for these two bookish leads.
THE VIRGIN SUICIDES (1999)
Based on Jeffrey Eugenides novel, The Virgin Suicides follows the traumatic and nuanced lives of the five Lisbon sisters, who live under the repressive confines of strict Catholic parents in Detroit in 1975. Written and directed by Sofia Coppola, the film features a young Kirsten Dunst, A.J. Cook, Josh Hartnett and Kathleen Turner. Though disturbing and distressing at points, it is as visually mesmerising as it is haunting, and became a cult classic for its representation of teenage angst through the lens of religion, mortality and the repression of women in a patriarchy.
SELMA (2014)
Though Selma had humble success at the box office, the historical drama is critically revered for its re-telling of this pivotal moment in US history. Directed by Ava DuVernay, the film documents the empowering 1965 voting rights march from Selma to Montgomery led by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (played by David Oyelowo). The march ultimately changed government legislation to allow all racial minorities the right to vote. Gritty and empowering, it’s an homage to the resilience of these change-makers who fought for their basic rights, while faced with prejudices and violence.
LADY BIRD (2017)
Long before Barbie-billion, Greta Gerwig mothered a cult indie film with a die-hard following in her directorial debut, Lady Bird. Set in the early 2000s, this coming- of-age movie sees Saoirse Ronan as Lady Bird mentally prepare for high school to end and her real life to begin, all while navigating first loves and a conflicted relationship with her mother. Starring Timothée Chalamet, Laurie Metcalf, Tracy Letts and Lucas Hedges, Lady Bird soared at the box office on it’s small budget and remains a relatable teenage experience of struggling to find yourself and your place in the world.
NOMADLAND (2020)
Based on Jessica Bruder’s non- fiction book, Nomadland sees Fern (Frances McDormand), a new widow, leave the suburbs of Nevada to travel the United States as a nomad. Not only did the unconventional tale of self- discovery land Chloé Zhao her first Academy Award for Best Director (only the second woman to achieve the feat), it also won Best Picture and Best Actress. Infectiously endearing, it’s a poignant, heart- warming journey of the search for life after the death of someone you love, and the lengths we will go to to reconnect with ourselves when life shatters our very foundations.
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SHIVA BABY (2020)
If you’re in the mood for an awkward situation, Shiva Baby is for you. Emma Seligman introduces Danielle (Rachel Sennott), a bisexual Jewish lost twenty-something, who attends a shiva with her parents, only to bump into her ex-girlfriend and her sugar daddy and his wife and their crying baby. Predominantly set in real time and in one location, Shiva Baby captures the stifling familial pressures when it comes to figuring out your romantic relationships and careers. Claustrophobic, hilarious and endlessly humbling, it’s an intense twist on the coming-of-age comedy.
ANATOMY OF A FALL (2023)
Justine Triet’s gripping French courtroom drama keeps the audience guessing throughout. The film follows the story of Sandra (Sandra Hüller), a successful author who is accused of killing her aspiring writer husband, Samuel (Samuel Theis) under mysterious circumstances. As the legal proceedings unfold, the narrative explores the intricacies of their relationship, the nature of truth, and the justice system. Did she do it? We’re not sure if Triet knows the answer herself but this Cannes Palme d’Or-winning had us hooked regardless.
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