Original Article:

http://feminismandreligion.com/2011/12/05/feminist-films-by-
caroline-kline/

Feminist Films by Caroline Kline
December 5, 2011
tags: Ieminist Iilms, Ieminist movies
by Caroline Kline
http:feminismanuieligion.comauthoicaiolinekline

My semester is nearly over, my papers will be done in a couple oI weeks, and
my NetIlix account has been sorely underused Ior the last Iour months. It`s
time Ior me to Iind some good Ieminist movies to watch during the holiday
break.

Some oI my Iavorite Ieminist Iilms deal overtly with gender roles and pushing
up against patriarchal norms.

O hale Rider, about a 12 year old girl who is destined to be the leader
oI her people, blew me away when I saw it.

O Iron Jawed Angels, about Alice Paul`s Iight to win suIIrage in the
early 20th century, is a movie every woman should see beIore election season.

O rides oI Christ. Ok, this might be an unusual choice, since it is a
1990's New Zealand miniseries about Catholic nuns during the Vatican II era.
ut the issues it dealt with divorce, Iemale leadership and communities,
birth control, Iaith and progressive values, etc. resonated strongly with me.
O
These are Iilms that have stayed with me, ones I want to watch over and over again because they speak to something
in my Ieminist heart. ut I also enjoy movies that might not be as overtly Ieminist, but that do Ieature strong women
and strong Iemale Iriendships. hen I read about the echdel Test, Iirst popularized in Alison echdel`s comic
Dykes to atch Out For I thought this was an interesting basic (very basic) standard Ior the Ieminist movie goer.
It`s a simple test. A movie passes iI it

1) has at least two women in it
2) who talk to each other
3) about something besides a man

It`s shocking to see how many movies don`t pass. The Pixar classic Finding Nemo barely passes it only squeaks
by because Flo asks Peach about a patient`s root canal during an ensemble scene. Even lots oI women centered
movies don`t pass because their conversations center around men.

!lease share your favorite feminist films, and other films you`ve loved that pass the Bechdel test. What are
the ones that have stayed with you over the years?
A Mormon feminist, Caroline is completing her coursework for her Ph.D. in religion with a focus on womens
studies in religion. Her areas of interest revolve around the intersections of Mormon and feminist theology and the
study of contemporary Mormon feminist communities. She is the co-founder of the Mormon feminist blog, The
Exponent.