Film
The Woman Rebel
A 1936 biopic of birth control pioneer Margaret Sanger, starring Piper Laurie in a spirited performance that captures her subject's defiance and moral conviction. Directed by John M. Stahl, it's a handsome period piece that prioritises character over spectacle, following one woman's fight against institutional prudishness. It's for anyone interested in how change happens, and how it costs.
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Suffragette2015
Carey Mulligan carries this story of the British suffrage movement with quiet fury. It shows activism as unglamorous work, the personal toll on families, and why some women felt they had no choice but to break things.
But The political anger can feel heavy-handed, and the film sometimes struggles to balance individual character with historical sweep. It's earnest in a way that doesn't always translate to compelling drama.
Norma Rae1979
Sally Field is magnificent as a textile worker who becomes a union organiser. It's about a woman finding her voice and her power through solidarity, and it never stops being deeply personal even as the stakes grow larger.
But The union politics can feel dated now, and the film has a certain 1970s sentimentality about working-class redemption that doesn't quite hold up. Some of it plays as preachy.
Erin Brockovich2000
Julia Roberts as a legal assistant who brings down a major corporation. It's propulsive, funny, and genuinely about how one person's determination and refusal to play by the rules can shift mountains. The script has real wit.
But It's sometimes more interested in celebrating scrappiness than examining what systemic change actually requires. Roberts' wardrobe choices occasionally tip into distraction rather than character.
Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from The Woman Rebel
The wildcard
Something you would not have found on your own.
Vera Drake2004
Both are about women who acted on their moral convictions about reproductive autonomy when the law forbade it, and both understand that you can be a good person and still be crushed by a system designed to stop you.
Mike Leigh's film about a working-class woman in 1950s London who performs illegal abortions. Imelda Staunton is extraordinary—she's kind, precise, and utterly clear about her own morality even when the law calls her a criminal. It's a quiet film with tremendous force.
But It's bleak, and it doesn't offer the comfort of vindication. The ending is genuinely dark. Some will find it slow; Leigh's naturalistic style requires patience.
More like this (5)
Darkest Hour2017
Gary Oldman as Churchill, but more importantly, a film about how conviction and moral clarity matter. It's beautifully made, and it understands that leadership is sometimes about refusing to give in when everyone expects you to break.
But It's a very traditional biopic in a very traditional mode. If you want something formally interesting or iconoclastic, this isn't it. Some find it stagey.
Hidden Figures2016
The story of Black women mathematicians without whose work NASA couldn't function. It's funny, moving, and furious in a way that never tips into sermon. The ensemble is excellent and the pacing is propulsive.
But Its feel-good structure can flatten the actual depth of discrimination and violence. It wants the audience to feel good about itself, which sometimes means avoiding harder truths.
A Serious Man2009
A Coen Brothers film about a man trying to do everything right and finding the universe indifferent to his effort. It's about living with uncertainty and loss when you're promised that goodness pays off. Darkly funny and genuinely strange.
But It's elliptical and deliberately unsatisfying. If you want narrative resolution or a clear moral, this will frustrate you. It's also deeply Jewish in a way that requires some cultural literacy to fully land.
On the Basis of Sex2018
Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg, following her early legal battles against sex discrimination. It's clear-eyed about how institutional change happens, and it celebrates intelligence as a form of power that can actually reshape law.
But It's a fairly conventional legal drama with a predictable structure. The emotional beats land where you'd expect them to. There's nothing formally surprising here.
The Sacrifice Zone2022
A documentary series about three modern activists working in different parts of the world. It's immediate and unglamorous, showing what contemporary resistance looks like when cameras are rolling and when they're not.
But It's uneven in its storytelling and sometimes struggles with pacing. The three-person structure means some stories feel rushed. It's also very current, which can make it feel more journalism than narrative.
