10 Amazing Movies with Female Directors

 There is an abundance of incredible movies directed by women and yet so many of them a lot of people don’t even realise weren’t directed by men. We’re conditioned to just naturally assume that it’s good, so a man must have done it. Which for the majority of us doesn’t take much looking at to see where the flaws are in that cognitive bias. 

With that in mind I’ve created a list of ten of what I consider to be the best movies with female directors. Obviously, I haven’t seen every movie created so we’d love to hear what movies directed by women you think I might have missed from this list (I’m sure they’ll promptly find their way onto my watchlist.)

The Matrix (1999)

One of the things I love most about who directed this movie is that not only was the director two women but they were sisters, Lana and Lilly Wachowski. They actually directed the entire Matrix trilogy and I think anyone who has seen the sci-fi/action series knows what an incredible job these two did. The computer hacker fighting a dystopian regime is a common trope in Hollywood these days but The Matrix is one of the films that really put this sub-genre on the map.

V for Vendetta (2005)

It’s perhaps a little cheeky of me to put this movie on here as it was also directed by the Wachowski sisters but I think the fact that they were able to create The Matrix trilogy and then go on to give us the (in my opinion) masterpiece that is V for Vendetta is an incredible feat. I don’t know what we did to deserve this incredible director duo but I’m glad we did it. This dystopian movie based on a graphic novel by Alan Moore features strong political leanings and speaks to me in a way that a lot movies don’t

Booksmart (2019)

Directed by Olivia Wilde, Booksmart is very different to the movies I’ve mentioned so far but is great in its own right. A coming-of-age movie, I really enjoyed seeing a realistic representation of what it’s like to be a young LGBTQIA+ person. It wasn’t the main focus of the movie but when it comes to this movie that’s a good thing as the focus was much more on the platonic friendship of two best friends which I absolutely loved.

The Miseducation of Cameron Post (2018)

Continuing the LGBTQIA+ theme and alternatively to the previous movie, being a young member of the rainbow mafia was absolutely the main focus of this movie. Based on the novel of the same name by Emily M. Danforth and directed by Desiree Akhavan, this movie had me laughing and bawling my eyes out in equal measure. I would consider checking the trigger warnings for this one before you watch it but I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Mary Shelley (2017)

A movie about the iconic Mary Shelley, the author of Frakenstein, directed by Haifaa al-Mansour. I found myself very much absorbed into the world of this movie when I watched it. Not only was Mary Shelley’s life fascinating but the way it was directed really portrayed the mood of what you were watching at all times.

The Runaways (2010)

A movie I watched on repeat as a teenager. The Runaways is a movie about one of the first all-female rock bands in history, a band of the same name that as someone who was a fan of the band before the movie I felt was really well done. Floria Sigismondi (the director) even went so far as to ensure that Dakota Fanning even had Cherie Currie’s actual corset in part of the movie. A detail I know wasn’t overlooked by the bands fans.

Lords of Dogtown (2005)

Following hugely influential skateboarders Stacy Peralta, Jay Adams and Tony Alva, Lords of Dogtown is arguably one of the best skate movies in existence and yet I’ve noticed a lot of people don’t actually realise that the director was Catherine Hardwicke, a woman with such an excellent attitude towards the film that she even injured herself working so hard to make it.

Clueless (1995)

I couldn’t make a list of movies with female directors without including the absolutely iconic Clueless. I don’t know a single woman who hasn’t at least seen this movie. Based off of Jane Austen’s novel Emma, the cast and director do an amazing job of bringing this story into (at the time) modern times and still managing to continue it’s timelessness. Director Amy Heckerling did an impeccable job on this movie and if you haven’t seen it, you should.

Wayne’s World (1992)

One of my favourite movies of all time and an important part of my childhood Wayne’s World holds a huge place in my heart and thus so does director Penelope Spheeris. This 90s comedy might not be for everyone but it has an absolutely huge cult following and honestly I’d be more surprised if it didn’t .

American Psycho (2000)

Based on a novel of the same name by Bret Easton Ellis, this black comedy slasher is directed by Mary Harron. Harron managed to turn a book mostly about blood-lust into a narrative about the ego and vanity of men whilst still making it an enjoyable watch for all genders. Something that truly, I don’t believe, many would consider an easy undertaking. 

I hope you liked this list and we’d love to hear your thoughts. Do you disagree with any of my choices? 

Written by Pixie Stoner 

@pixiejstonerwrites