3 Powerful Films Reinforce the Historical Significance of the Girlpower Movement

Tragic Stories Illustrate Our Ongoing Need for Comprehensive #MeToo Reform

Image: United Artists Releasing

In honor of Women’s History Month, we showcase three crucial films that underscore the most significant movement to advance women’s rights in the last decade: #MeToo.

They are:

1. Pleasure

2. She Said

3. Women Talking  

These valiant films emphasize the magnitude and importance of the societal reckoning we’re witnessing now in which women seek justice despite previously being silenced. 

They center on the victims’ arduous journeys and punctuate their traumatic aftermath to reveal the complexities dictating survival. 

The films also expand the canon of similar narratives that came before them.

In 2019, Nicole Kidman, Charlize Theron, and Margot Robbie’s Bombshell revealed the toxicity and mistreatment in a major newsroom organization.

Vulture proclaimed Julia Garner’s The Assistant the first great #MeToo movie in the same year. 

Carey Mulligan’s 2020 twisted revenge tale Promising Young Woman examined the alarming trend of sexual violence on college campuses.

Then, in 2021, Jodie Comer’s medieval spectacle The Last Duel investigated sexual assault from different perspectives.

While it’s easy to see these movies as part of a #MeToo Cinematic Universe, Hollywood must expand its scope of representation on the screen. 

A universe implies a larger, more diverse ecosystem, which is not what we’ve seen so far from Tinseltown.

Bombshell deals with a pervasive toxic corporate culture that affects only white blonde women. It omits the women of color who are also subjected to the same inhumane treatment.

The Assistant captures the dangers young professionals face. BIPOC women in entry-level positions are disproportionally the targets of workplace sexual harassment and assault.

Promising Young Woman and The Last Duel feature affluent white women who authority figures refused to believe. 

While these films offer critical insight into the trauma and abuse that predatory men inflict on women, they have one thing in common. We view them through the lens of privileged white women.

What about marginalized women who operate in the shadows?

Women of color are twice as likely to be victims of rape or other sexual violence, with multiracial and Native women targeted the most.

What’s missing from these on-screen depictions are fresh perspectives that broaden the conversation. We need to widen the net on whose stories get told.

Hollywood continues to exclude BIPOC women, and that needs to change.

However, this doesn’t diminish the relevance of white-centric stories. Each woman’s pain is a reflection of every women's struggle.

According to the data, sexual assault happens to all women regardless of race, sexual orientation, religion, disability, and occupation.

The National Sexual Violence Resource Center reports that 81% of women have experienced sexual harassment or assault in their lifetime. 

This global epidemic affects almost a billion women and girls. 

Yes, we need more stories about BIPOC and LGBTQ+ victims. However, every #MeToo film validates that everyone’s story matters.

These incredible survival stories allow for more inclusive discussions about who society sees and what authorities believe. 

Pleasure, She Said, and Women Talking do precisely that, spotlighting the courageous accounts of women neglected by society. 

These three influential films reinforce the #MeToo movement and substantiate why widespread change must occur now.

Image: NEON

1. Pleasure, 2021 (NC17 Warning) 

Bella Cherry (Sofia Kappel), a young Swedish woman, aspires to become an X-rated porn star after moving to L.A. 

She arrives at a house full of desperate, calculating women.

Their shared abode is a proving ground Bella must outmaneuver. She’s humble but hungry, ready to conquer the underground porn world.

Bella attacks her opportunities with ferocity, navigating demanding agents, scheming competition, and challenging shoots to survive and thrive in this unbounded sex-positive industry.

Nervous at the beginning, Bella starts to settle into her first gig: a slim three-person crew consisting of herself, a sleazy older partner, and a shady cameraman.

Things quickly turn violent within the first five minutes. 

Bella refuses to squander her opening break, though. She musters the courage to bear the blatant assault, relying on nerves of steel to carry her through.

Leveraging her high pain tolerance as a ticket to stardom, Bella is a confident woman who withstands brutal requests most women refuse.  

It’s a risk she’s willing to take in a no-holds-barred business. 

However, the shoots get progressively worse, and dishonest directors compromise Bella’s security at an alarming rate. For instance, a loathsome scene partner repeatedly violates Bella's consent, culminating in rough, harmful sex.

Ninja Thyberg makes her feature directorial debut with this provocative, unfiltered portrayal of the adult film business’s questionable protections and unsavory ethics.

She uncovers the intentional inequity and rampant abuse women encounter at every turn.

Thanks to Thyberg’s curious feminist lens and Kappel’s daring, magnetic performance, audiences aren’t discerning voyeurs but invested spectators rooting for her to prevail. 

Thyberg is more interested in exposing hidden workplace dangers than in passing judgment on the industry and the women it exploits. Her audacious film scrutinizes unscrupulous men who skirt the boundaries of consent, compromising everyone’s safety.

Bella is an explicit metaphor for the pathological harm women suffer to reach success in an industry that considers itself insulated from #MeToo.

Pleasure is a rare, layered film wrapped in a terrifying waking nightmare where consent and self-preservation are cornerstones for survival. 

Stream Pleasure on Showtime.

Image: Universal Pictures

2. She Said, 2022 

Two NY Times journalists, Megan Twohey (Carey Mulligan) and Jodi Kantor (Zoe Kazan), investigate sexual assault allegations against one of the most recognizable men in Hollywood, Harvey Weinstein. 

The film opens with Twohey and Kantor preparing to go into the office. 

It’s a stark reminder this film isn’t about the malicious men who inflict pain but the unsuspecting working women they assault and silence.  

She Said emphasizes the victims who expect secure working environments and fruitful careers that provide for their families but are instead subjected to derogatory and violent treatment.  

From a young production assistant to a tenured executive to a blacklisted veteran actress, no one is safe from Weinstein and the system that sanctioned his predatory behavior for decades.

To underscore his insidious presence in the victims’ lives, She Said uses an unusual technique; we hear Weinstein’s voice but never see his face. 

Maria Schrader directs, and Rebecca Lenkiewicz writes this engrossing biographical drama based on Kantor and Twohey’s best-selling book. 

Lenkiewicz and Schrader honor the victims whose extraordinary bravery dismantled a pervasive culture of harassment and ignited the popularity of the #MeToo movement.

Schrader uses the film’s two hours and nine-minute run time as a meticulous, by-the-book discovery process in pursuing justice.

She forgoes contrived suspense for an empathetic drama detailing a dangerous cat-and-mouse game.

Audiences watch as Kantor and Twohey spend untold hours chasing down leads, connecting dots, and navigating potential threats. 

In response, Weinstein relentlessly harasses Kantor and Twohey by hiring private investigators to follow them and tap their phones. At the same time, he continues his reign of sexual assault while the people in power do nothing to stop him.

By exposing the systemic abuse Hollywood permitted for decades, Kantor and Twohey defend every woman’s right to safe working conditions.  

She Said is a rallying cry for radical change and a stern warning to institutional structures that protect habitual offenders. 

Stream She Said on Peacock.

Image: United Artists Releasing

3. Women Talking, 2022 

In the opening scene, Autje (Kate Hallett), a young girl, narrates to another girl. 

She speaks of past terrors, present traumas, and future teachings.

Within the first few minutes, it’s clear the recipient of Autje’s boundless wisdom has yet to be born. 

Autje’s somber tone prepares audiences for an enlightening spiritual awakening.

The film’s opening title card displays a single quote that speaks volumes:

 “What follows is an act of female imagination.” 

Sarah Polley writes and directs this moving adaption based on Miriam Toews’ 2018 acclaimed novel. It was inspired by the real-life tragic events at a Mennonite colony in Bolivia.

The isolated women—including young girls—struggle with their faith after being drugged and violently raped by a group of men from their religious community over many years. 

Without the ability to read or write, nine women must decide how to deal with the horrific revelation before the men return. 

The chosen tribunal convenes and faces three choices: fight for their safety, forgive the men who have attacked them, or leave the only home they’ve ever known.

Polley’s stirring drama is a masterclass in empathy featuring riveting performances from a stunning ensemble cast.

How do they stop an epidemic of violence and rebuild without the proper tools for survival? 

A radical act of self-discovery and self-worth transpires over forty-eight hours in a desolate barn.

These brave women manage what many would consider impossible. Their resolute belief in connection bestows a profound sense of hope, allowing them to transcend their searing trauma.

Polley’s film is a heartbreaking, empowering journey that leaves audiences teary-eyed and speechless. 

A poignant testament to the triumphant human spirit, Women Talking will ignite conversations from generations of women for years to come.

Women Talking is available for rental or purchase via VOD. 

Final Thoughts

Tarana Burke first coined the phrase “Me Too” in 2016. She galvanized her efforts through the lens of disadvantaged women of color. 

Since Burke, countless women from all walks of life have magnified the importance of #MeToo, including those in influential positions. 

This evolution from urban streets to ivory towers confirms that no woman is immune.

Regardless of race or status, the story remains the same. 

Powerful men wield their influence as blunt tools to bludgeon and derail countless women’s hopes, dreams, and careers. They prevail while victims suffer in silence—until now. 

Pleasure, She Said, and Women Talking show how taking a stand and relentless action is an unbeatable formula for genuine change. 

Yes, BIPOC women have mostly been absent from the #MeToo headlines, conversations, and on-screen storytelling, which mainstream outlets need to correct.

However, these three films amplify the value of telling every woman’s story to provoke sustainable transformation.

They reiterate why widespread fundamental reform is necessary for the sake of every victim around the globe.

Are you looking for more dynamic female storytellers? Here are thirteen fabulous filmmakers disrupting Hollywood. 

Remember to subscribe and spread the word! More must-watch recommendations arrive next week.