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While there is a lot of media with female characters and even protagonists, the ratio of male to female character ratio in literature is roughly 4:1. So it’s not surprising that people would have to actively seek out media that specifically features women.
An internet user wanted to hear from other women what films they thought best depicted genuine “female rage” and netizens delivered. Revenge, rage, and frustration are all featured in people’s suggestions, so be sure to upvote your favorite examples as you scroll through and comment your own ideas below.
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#1
Hidden figures - scene when he asks why it took so long to go to the bathrooms and back.
TMoxraaar 2 years ago
The ladies bathroom in Congress is downstairs from the chamber. The men's is right outside the door.
M.Kay (He/They) 2 years ago
I love that scene so much, and the one that follows it. "Here at NASA, we all pee the same color."
Shyla Bouche 2 years ago
That was an excellent scene. From what I've read, there were no segregated bathrooms at NASA. It was added to the movie for dramatic effect.
Eric G 2 years ago
From what I've read, there were segregated bathrooms, but no signs on top of them. Also, she didn't have to run half a mile to use one. But it did take her time to find them because they weren't labeled.
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#2
I’m gonna have to go with Ripley from the Aliens movies. She’s a calm, cool and collected competent female professional with a perfect amount of righteous indignation at the inhumane callousness of her corporate handlers and that epic “get away from her you b***h!” mama bear instinct that will always stand out to me.
Fat Harry 2 years ago
Ripley definitely proved you didn't need a man to swoop in and save the day. She's the perfect film hero.
JP Purves 2 years ago
I read (or heard) somewhere that Ripley was originally supposed to be played by a man. Glad it was cast with Weaver, she's an amazing actress.
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Martin Kaine 2 years ago
One of my favorites is when she's yelling at the incompetent lieutenant while his team is getting killed. She gives up on reasoning with him and drives the assault vehicle in to get the team out.
#3
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri
Nea 2 years ago
I have watched this one 9 times and listened to buckskin stallion blues thousands of times. Absolutely brilliant.
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Part of the reason for this lack of representation is that women do not have nearly as much of a foothold in cinema as men. Only 18% of all Hollywood directors, executive producers, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors are female. As a result, it’s not hard to imagine that stories of “female fury” are overlooked in favor of more male-centric narratives. It’s not impossible for a man to write an angry woman, but more likely that a woman would write a more lasting one.
If we think about the top films of any given year, between 10 and 20% will be headlined by a woman. Hence the need for viewers to actively reach out for advice on films that depict something specific from the perspective of a woman. This is similarly true for casting in general, for example, in 2014, only 28.1% of characters in 100 top-grossing films were female.
#4
Thelma and Louise!
Susan Sarandon & Gina Davis were amazing in the movie & perfectly cast.
Groundcontroltomajortom 2 years ago
Always makes me cry this film, done so beautifully and a stellar cast.
I’mSoEmotional 2 years ago
I’m not saying all men, but there’s definitely a subset of men who absolutely hate any film or tv show that shows female rage. They label it as “woke” and never take into consideration that many women abide by certain social rules, like going places in a group, in order to stay safe. It’s literally infuriating having to endure assumptions by these men that because a woman dresses a certain way that she’s available for sex. And if she says she’s not she’s called a b***h or worse.
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
I remember gasping at the end when l watched it at the theatre. I think this film resonated with a lot of women.
#5
The Menu
I saw in an interview with Anya Taylor Joy that (spoiler) the moment her character Margot finds out that Tyler brought her to the island knowing it will end in their deaths, the script said she would just sit there silently crying, but instead she was like "yeah nah, no woman would ever react like that, especially to finding out she was about to die" and instead had Margot slap and claw the bejeezus out of Tyler, as she should. I love her for that, and loved Margot overall.
Spocks's Mom 2 years ago
I enjoyed it too. Her date was a mega douche, though.
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Dread Pirate Roberts 2 years ago
Excellent psychological thriller, love her character, love the ending when she watches the place burn while she eats a cheeseburger lol freakin epic.
#6
The Help
Mama Penguin 2 years ago
"Have you lost your mind?" "No, ma'am. But you're about to, because you just did."
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Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
I LOVED this movie, especially the care that was taken to follow the book so closely.
It’s similar in other roles. Amy Pascal is the studio chief for Sony, the only female leader in a major film studio. The same can, unfortunately, be said of pay as well. While times are changing and there is some variety in different cohorts, overall, in some years a Hollywood female actress will make just forty cents for each dollar earned by a male counterpart. Remember, in general, when people talk about the pay gap, it’s normally around 20% less, not 60%.
#7
First Wives Club, especially Diane Keaton’s character, who tried so hard to be supportive and kind and kept getting shat on by life. Her blow ups were particularly well deserved.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago (edited)
Just in case it's not mentioned anywhere in the list, the movie She Devil, with Rosanne Barr and Meryl Streep is fantastic too. She serves a bit more spiteful vengeance, I think, but it's oh so hilarious. Seeing this movie reminded me of the other. Edited to add; The Other Woman with Cameron Diaz, Kate Upton, Leslie Mann, Taylor Kinney, and Don Johnson. It's a spectacular movie.
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New Everywhere 2 years ago
Loved this movie even at a young age. Diane Keaton playing a pissed off character is the greatest
#8
The girl with the dragon tattoo (swedish and american)
Bored Retsuko 2 years ago
The Swedish one any day!! Noomi Rapace is the one and only Lisbeth!
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Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
The rape/sodomy scene was brutal to watch, but I sure enjoyed her revenge.
#9
Steel Magnolias
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
Olympia Dukakis walks away with the film in my opinion.
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kim davies 2 years ago
The scene during Shelby’s funeral when m’lynn was beside herself with grief, I ugly cry every time I see that movie
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
I utterly adore this film. Always try to watch it if I see it somewhere.
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
I always remember that scene when they're waxing their upper lip and l think Olympia Dukakis gets the chin hairs pulled out. It's stupid, but it stuck with me because it was so real.
bottomless.abyss.of.bordem 2 years ago
Watching this always gives me fond memories of my gramma.
Amy 2 years ago
I don't think I'll ever be able to watch this film again. It was made the year my type one diabetic sister was born and she died of kidney failure aged 31, a year and a half after suffering serious brain damage from a hypo. Too close to home 😬 years later I can still hear Sally Field screaming "why?!" and I just can't. That'll make a healthy person break down, let alone a broken person like me lol.
The few female specialists that do still make a name for themselves in Hollywood are often subject to rampant abuse and hateful comments. The website Sh*t People Say to Women Directors (& Other Women in Film) contains just a fraction of stories from the industry if you are curious to learn more. More darkly, the me too movement was a direct result of a male-dominated industry where abusers could limit access to talented women who opposed them.
#10
'Girl, Interrupted' was probably the first movie I saw that portrayed female rage and mental illness in a sympathetic light. It really stuck with me
GoGoPDX 2 years ago
The book is 1000% better! The movie is amzing, but please, read the book.
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Mary Kelly 2 years ago
angelina jolie was fanastic in it....but, one flew over the cuckoo's nest showed mental illness in a sympathetic light
#11
Promising young woman.
iMOGENE CARGO 2 years ago
One of my favorite movies. It's weird saying that. But like.. I was roofied once. Luckily one of my guy friends realized that I wasn't okay & took me home before anything bad could happen. 3 other woman were also drugged that night.. which was terrifying. I was 18. It was scary to think about what could have happened had my friend not known something weird was going on. I had one drink & I was completely obliterated. I unfortunately have been assaulted. Hell, my very first sexual experience was filled with coercion, about 20 "no! I don't want to" & a very manipulative older dude who planned out how he was going to take my virginity from me regardless how I felt about it. And he did.... So I've had quite a few horrible experiences with men in my life & I'm sure they won't be the last. This movie perfectly depicted how I felt on the inside. What I wanted to do to the Men who hurt me. It sucks that the ending happened. But then again. Zit portrayed the most likely scenario
Vicky De Raedemaeker 2 years ago
Carey Mulligan plays Cassandra in a revenge movie that's pretty close to reality. Especially the ending. Written, directed and edited by Emerald Fennel who also plays Camilla in The Crown. This is her directorial debut! Can't wait to see what's to comes next. Love her.
AsylumWalker 1 year ago
Emerald just released Saltburn, which is another fantastic one
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#12
The Dressmaker is an excellent, gorgeous film and depicts female anger and vengeance.
Der Kommissar 2 years ago
Kate Winslet is good in every movie I've seen her in. Check out Movie 43 and Heavenly Creatures
The question about female rage may have been sparked by the simple, but unfortunate fact that all too often a woman’s role in a film is to look nice. In the 56 top-grossing films of 2018 around the world, female characters were four times more likely than men to be shown wearing revealing clothing or be completely nude and nearly twice as likely to be shown as partially nude.
#13
Hunger games
P.C. 2 years ago
The books I feel emphasize that so much more, because by the third book she’s really broken… she’s very human and for a main character, kept mostly in the dark when it comes to fighting the bad guys. She’s so much more admirable because she’s so much more relatable… I really love the Hunger Games
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Roan The Demon Kitty 2 years ago (edited)
just a shame that the whole romance with Peeta (and kinda with gale) had to be included...
#14
There are some moments / speeches from Angela Bassett (Queen Ramonda) in Black Panther 2 which are incredible, although rage mixed with anguish
️️Upvote faery️ 2 years ago
Angela Bassett is an amazing actress!! I love her in everything she does, but especially in AHS!!!
Omima mimi miki 2 years ago
I would say her best was in Whats Love Got to do With It! That was such a brilliant film and you nails Tina Turner and her struggles
Wim Cossement 2 years ago
Those 2 movies, especially the 2nd one were steaming piles of c**p. And just playing the one with the resting b***h face does not seem too hard, does it?
#15
Midsommar, I feel like that one definitely shows how a lot of the times it is a slow burn thing and it doesn’t always start off as anger, but sadness and a feeling of betrayal
Wysteria_Rose 2 years ago
One of the best films that depicts grief and how vulnerable you are without genuine relationships to help you by. Florence Pugh was amazing in this film and deserved more recognition for it.
mSpencer 2 years ago
She made that movie the emotional ride it is. Her character is so well acted that there's a stronger sense of exactly how much is wrong around her even before it gets to the top of the cliffs
Load More Replies...This is equally as true for prime-time television, where women were overall the minority of characters anyway. In fact, unlike in other industries, the representation gap is actually growing in television. So, unfortunately, portrayals of accurate “female rage” are likely as few and far between as accurate portrayals of female anything. Hopefully, these statistics can be evened out and more than one in ten directors will actually be a woman.
#16
G.I Jane, when she finally tells them......... *Suck my d**k!*
#17
Monster
Omima mimi miki 2 years ago (edited)
This was a great movie - It always hard for me to watch the scene when she gets that tire iron rammed in her and then drenched her after with cleaning fluid- The ends of a tire iron look painful so i can't really imagine someone doing that to another.
Pittsburgh rare 2 years ago
I couldn't empathize with her. I tried. But at least she was more likeable than Christina Ricci's character.
#18
Angela Basset- Waiting to Exhale.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
Also, in How Stella Got Her Groove Back and What's Love Got To Do With It.
Load More Replies... iMOGENE CARGO 2 years ago
I feel like every single role Angela plays incorporates some aspect of female rage. & that's why I love her. She makes me feel what she's feeling. I cry with her. I laugh with her. I wanna break & burn s**t down with her. She's probably my favorite actress of all time.
Omima mimi miki 2 years ago
she was excellent in this! " get your s**t...get your s**t and get out"
#19
Gone Girl. Specifically the "cool girl" monologue.
Em 2 years ago
I feel like this is more a portrayal of ASPD than anything, but I think that comes through a little more in the book than the movie.
Monday 2 years ago
Oh it comes through in the movie too....Those two manipulative bastards deserved each other.
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#21
Mr Hollands Opus, the scene where his wife has a breakdown for not being able to communicate with her son.
Der Kommissar 2 years ago
Scene towards the end where the band plays Mr. Holland's opus. Gets me every time.
#22
Not quite rage per say, but the scene in Princess Kaguya (Ghibli film) after a man dies in pursuit of her hand in marriage, she breaks everything around her and runs back to her hometown as a streak of destruction across the countryside. The film is animated and this scene is drawn with mostly strokes of thick black charcoal and really shows the raw emotion of anger, sorrow, and frustration. The whole scene felt like a very realistic reaction as well as accurate portrayal of the anger inside of women.
ChexmyLicks/egg 2 years ago
san ko pwede panoorin? ala akong cp tas netflix lol
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Themoonprincess 2 years ago
My namesake!! And I think she runs back to her hometown during her coming of age ceremony. Not after the man dies.
#23
I like Florence Pugh’s monologue as Amy in Little Women to Teddy about being a woman in that time. I thought that was excellently done. The whole film isn’t about that. But that scene was A+
that one ace lesbian demigirl 2 years ago
correct me if i'm wrong but isn't that Jo in the picture?
#24
Set it off
#25
couldn’t choose just one, so:
gone girl
the virgin suicides
pearl and x
midsommar
raw
the vvitch
black swan
possession
heavenly creatures
i’m obsessed with feminine rage, and i have sooo many book recs about it as well!
Meike H 2 years ago
gone girl and virgin suicides are already very good book recommendations ;)
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David Leick 2 years ago
I've seen Pearl a while ago and I think Mia Goth should've at least gotten some nominations for best actress.
Papa Patata 2 years ago
Heavenly creatures, wow, surprised someone mentioned this. Very interesting movie
#26
Hereditary
Chexmy Licks/egg🇯🇵 2 years ago
i just watched this rn,ive never been so weirded out ..i loved it
Peta Hurley-Hill 2 years ago
I like Toni Collette but Hereditary was such a silly,predicable film .I really don't know what that hype was about.Same with the Babadook.
#27
Obligatory not a film but the first series of Killing Eve. Particularly Sandra Oh's character.
#28
I like “The Break Up.” Jennifer Anniston’s character did a great job of illustrating how women can get frustrated in a relationship even when they like the guy.
AliJanx 2 years ago
The ending really surprised me - took me a long time to get it, but when I did, I GOT it.
GoGoPDX 2 years ago
It is one of those endings you get when you have lived it.
Load More Replies... Celtic Pirate Queen 2 years ago
I thought the whole movie was just plain stupid. He's nothing but a man-child. Why on earth does she even want to be with him?. But, then I don't like Vince Vaughn either.
#29
I think Kate Winslet and Jodie Foster both portray anger/rage very well in Carnage. That pent up anger and resentment finally forcing its way out is something that I think a lot of us can relate to.
#30
Ladybird
Chexmy Licks/egg🇯🇵 2 years ago
why? never seen this movie but i want a good reason to watch it lol
#31
Not a movie, but season 4, episode 13 of The Sopranos ("Whitecaps"). Oh my god, I could really feel Carmela's anger and hurt through her acting, it brought me to tears. I do believe Edie Falco won an Emmy for her performance in that episode.
Heather Resatz 2 years ago
Oh her tears! Her rage, her sadness .. so raw. Edie Falco is a f*****g legend
#33
Maybe more like internalized shame/anger, but Portrait of a Lady on Fire
#34
Harley Quinn: birds of prey
Ozymandias73 2 years ago
Nah, she was royally pissed with the Joker and finally said ENOUGH! She was already insane.
Load More Replies... #35
Enough. J-Lo’s performance is perfect.
What do you think ?
Jo Cooper 2 years ago
I was just thinking that, especially the animated O-Ren Ishii scene.
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CanadianDimes 2 years ago
I wish all of these had an explanation, not just some of them. The title of the film alone isn’t enough to explain why it’s a good example of feminine rage. I want to know why people think that!
P.C. 2 years ago
Yeah. I was expecting to see elaboration. Some did better than others, at least listing the moment/woman in the movie.
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Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
I'm not sure what counts as "female rage". It's just rage. Occasionally psychotic homicidal stuff ("Monster" for example). But nobody mentioned Norma Rae. One woman vs the company, holding the sign "UNION". That was epic.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
Norma Rae is a phenomenal movie. Have you seen Sally Field in the movie Sybil? Another great movie from this time period is Silkwood. This drama is based on the true story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), who works at a nuclear facility, along with her boyfriend, Drew Stephens (Kurt Russell), and their roommate, Dolly Pelliker (Cher). When Karen becomes concerned about safety practices at the plant, she begins raising awareness of violations that could put workers at risk. Intent on continuing her investigation, Karen discovers a suspicious development: She has been exposed to high levels of radiation.
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Laura Lett 2 years ago
Diary of a Mad Black Woman. When she almost let the sob drown, I felt that,hard. Especially, after what he put her through.
sofacushionfort 2 years ago
Beatrice Straight took the Oscar in 1976 for “Network:” less than five minutes of screen time, with a speech about how she as a wife could be dumped and her life upended just because her husband as experiencing a bout of mid-life self-pity
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
There’s a few scenes of female rage in Titanic that still hold up well. Especially when you consider how it was for women back then. Which was abysmal.
Jo Cooper 2 years ago
I was just thinking that, especially the animated O-Ren Ishii scene.
Load More Replies... CanadianDimes 2 years ago
I wish all of these had an explanation, not just some of them. The title of the film alone isn’t enough to explain why it’s a good example of feminine rage. I want to know why people think that!
P.C. 2 years ago
Yeah. I was expecting to see elaboration. Some did better than others, at least listing the moment/woman in the movie.
Load More Replies... Leo Domitrix 2 years ago
I'm not sure what counts as "female rage". It's just rage. Occasionally psychotic homicidal stuff ("Monster" for example). But nobody mentioned Norma Rae. One woman vs the company, holding the sign "UNION". That was epic.
Daffydillz~ 2 years ago
Norma Rae is a phenomenal movie. Have you seen Sally Field in the movie Sybil? Another great movie from this time period is Silkwood. This drama is based on the true story of Karen Silkwood (Meryl Streep), who works at a nuclear facility, along with her boyfriend, Drew Stephens (Kurt Russell), and their roommate, Dolly Pelliker (Cher). When Karen becomes concerned about safety practices at the plant, she begins raising awareness of violations that could put workers at risk. Intent on continuing her investigation, Karen discovers a suspicious development: She has been exposed to high levels of radiation.
Load More Replies... Laura Lett 2 years ago
Diary of a Mad Black Woman. When she almost let the sob drown, I felt that,hard. Especially, after what he put her through.
sofacushionfort 2 years ago
Beatrice Straight took the Oscar in 1976 for “Network:” less than five minutes of screen time, with a speech about how she as a wife could be dumped and her life upended just because her husband as experiencing a bout of mid-life self-pity
Chewie Baron 2 years ago
There’s a few scenes of female rage in Titanic that still hold up well. Especially when you consider how it was for women back then. Which was abysmal.
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