11 Must Watch Movies Directed By Women

At the start of the year I wanted to challenge myself to watch more films directed by women. And with a total of 30 movies I think I did a good job and I thought I’d share some of my favourite films from female directors – ranging from rom-coms to horror and coming of age.

Troop Zero

Summary: In rural 1977 Georgia, a misfit girl dreams of life in outer space. When a competition offers her a chance to be recorded on NASA’s Golden Record, she recruits a makeshift troop of Birdie Scouts, forging friendships that last a lifetime.

Tea’s Thought: I live for coming of age movies and loved this entertaining and charming movie that is perfect for a Friday evening or lazy Sunday afternoon.

Can You Keep A Secret?

Summary: Thinking they’re about to crash, Emma spills her secrets to a stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…Until she later meets Jack, her company’s young CEO, who now knows every humiliating detail about her. Based on the blockbuster NYT bestseller.

Tea’s Thought: Predictable? From the first minute! Cliché? Oh, yeah! Have I seen better rom-coms? Also yes. But sometimes you just need an old-fashioned romcom and for those moments Can You Keep A Secret is the answer.

Little Joe

Summary: Alice, a single mother, is a dedicated senior plant breeder at a corporation engaged in developing new species. Against company policy, she takes one home as a gift for her teenage son and names it after him but soon starts fearing it.

Tea’s Thought: A sci-fi horror that has the best colour palette I’ve seen in a while. Also, I’m never looking at my house plants in the same way.

Birds of Prey: And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

Summary: After splitting with the Joker, Harley Quinn joins superheroes Black Canary, Huntress and Renee Montoya to save a young girl from an evil crime lord.

Tea’s Thought: Probably the best DC superhero film out there! When it comes to translating comics to the big screen Bird of Prey has it all: vivid, over the top and a great sense of humour.

The Assistant

Summary: A searing look at a day in the life of an assistant to a powerful executive. As Jane follows her daily routine, she grows increasingly aware of the insidious abuse that threatens every aspect of her position.

Tea’s Thought: It honestly could have been a documentary following the #MeToo movement. It’s slow … very slow, so might not be for everyone, but I liked it.

The Lodge

Summary: A soon-to-be stepmom is snowed in with her fiancé’s two children at a remote holiday village. Just as relations begin to thaw between the trio, some strange and frightening events take place.

Tea’s Thought: An atmospheric slowburn thriller that’s best enjoyed on a cold, dark winter’s night with a blanket to hide behind.

Valley Girl

Summary: Set to a new wave ’80s soundtrack, a pair of young lovers from different backgrounds defy their parents and friends to stay together.

Tea’s Thought: For someone who doesn’t like musicals I really enjoyed this film and the soundtrack and would probably watch it again.

Rocks

Summary: A young teenage girl finds herself struggling to take care of herself and her younger brother after being abandoned by their single mother with no choice but to live out on the streets.

Tea’s Thought: Another coming of age that I loved! And great to see East London on film. It was surprising how they kept the end of the film raw.

Sea Fever

Summary: The crew of a West of Ireland trawler, marooned at sea, struggle for their lives against a growing parasite in their water supply.

Tea’s Thought: Yes, the third horror / thriller on my list, but women seem to own the horror genre now so better start supporting them.

The Break Upperers

Summary: For the right price, BFFs Jen and Mel will ruthlessly end any romance. But when one grows a conscience, it threatens to derail their relationship.

Tea’s Thought: I wish they focused more on the break up scenes, but I loved the humour, the characters and the finale.

Unpregnant

Summary: A 17-year old Missouri teen named Veronica discovers she has gotten pregnant, a development that threatens to end her dreams of matriculating at an Ivy League college, and the career that will follow.

Tea’s Thought: You can’t have enough buddy road trip movies and this one did a great job. In terms of female buddy films I enjoyed this one more than last year’s Booksmart.

I mentioned Stray and One Night In Miami in my London Film Festival post and Honeyland in a previous film round-up.

As the next year is already drawing close, I’m looking forward to 2021 movies such as First Cow, Matrix 4, Nomadland and Candyman.

What’s been the best film you saw in 2020?