Described as a #MeToo action drama, the film Asking For It, directed by Eamon O’Rourke in her directional debut, follows Joey who joins an all-female gang to fight misogyny in their community after she herself experienced sexual assault while going on a date with her old friend. The film stars Kiersey Clemons, Alexandra Shipp, Vanessa Hudgens, Leslie Stratton, Radha Mitchell, Leyna Bloom, Lisa Yaro, Casey Camp-Horinek, Gabourey Sidibe, David, Patrick Kelly, Ezra Miller, and Luke Hemsworth. The film received mixed reviews so far but the film is definitely tackling timely and relevant issues. The Wrap published a review of the film and wrote, “Some may react cynically to O’Rourke’s far-from-understated efforts. But even if a message movie this earnest is unlikely to change many minds, its diverse cast and crew represent a rejection of the past, a rewrite of the present, and a model for the future.” If you enjoyed the female power in Asking For It and you’re looking for similar films that feature strong female leads and similar themes, here are five of our movie recommendations.
Promising Young Woman
A film that showcases a strong female lead also seeking vengeance is the 2020 American black comedy thriller film Promising Young Woman, directed by Emerald Fennell in her feature directorial debut. The film follows charming Cassie, played by Carey Mulligan, who lives a secret life at night. Through a chance encounter, she revisits her wounded past and seeks vengeance. Bo Burnham, Alison Brie, Clancy Brown, Jennifer Coolidge, Laverne Cox, and Connie Britton also appear in supporting roles. The film received positive reviews from critics and won Best Original Screenplay at the 93rd Academy Awards, as well as nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress (Mulligan), and Best Film Editing. Fennell also won Best Original Screenplay at the Critics’ Choice Awards, British Academy Film Awards, and Writers’ Guild Awards. The Guardian gave a five-star review of the film saying, “The story proceeds in twist and turns and switchbacks; Mulligan is great at showing when Cassandra is in control of the situation and when she isn’t – and Anthony Willis’s ruthlessly effective musical score underlines both the horror and the sadness.”
Hard Candy
While Asking For It features a group of all-female vigilantes, the film 2005 psychological thriller film Hard Candy features a young female vigilante who targets a suspected sexual predator. The film was directed by David Slade, with a screenplay by Brian Nelson, and stars Elliot Page and Patrick Wilson. Hard Candy received generally positive reviews and won several awards including three awards at the 2005 Sitges Film Festival, four awards at the Málaga Film Festival, and Best Actress (Page) at the 2006 Austin Film Critics Association Awards. Empire praised the film in their review and wrote, “A cracking little thriller which makes you think even as it’s keeping you on the edge of your seat. It’s not always easy viewing, but Hard Candy is an intelligent, challenging film which deserves to be seen.”
Suffragette
Suffragette also features strong female leads who are fighting for equality. Inspired by true events, the film is set in 20th century Britain and follows a group of women led by a political activist fighting for equality and women’s right to vote even if it means they have to sacrifice a lot for the cause. The powerful dram film was directed by Sarah Gavron and written by Abi Morgan and stars Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Brendan Gleeson, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Whishaw, and Meryl Streep. The Guardian published a review of the film describing it as “a thoroughly valuable and absorbing film, with some terrifically managed suspense sequences that might conceivably have been admired by Gillo Pontecorvo.” In the same article, they wrote about the film’s relevance and moving themes saying, “Suffragette is a tart reminder to those who are casual about democratic gender equality that votes for women were not something that naturally evolved due to the ruling class’s innate decency; they had to be fought for.”
North Country
Just like Asking For It, the American drama film North Country also features strong women who are fighting against sexual harassment. The film is based on true events and centers on a group of women working in a local iron Mine in Minnesota. One of the women named Josey experiencing repeated sexual harassment at work decides to file what would be the first sexual harassment lawsuit. The film was directed by Niki Caro, and stars Charlize Theron, Frances McDormand, Sean Bean, Richard Jenkins, Michelle Monaghan, Jeremy Renner, Woody Harrelson, and Sissy Spacek. The screenplay by Michael Seitzman was inspired by the 2002 book Class Action: The Story of Lois Jenson and the Landmark Case That Changed Sexual Harassment Law by Clara Bingham and Laura Leedy Gansler. The film received critical acclaim and garnered several nominations including Best Actress (Charlize Theron) and Best Supporting Actress (Frances McDormand) at the Academy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, British Academy Film Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics’ Choice Awards. The film also won the Audience Choice Award – Best Film at the Chicago International Film Festival. New York Times reviewed the film and wrote, “North Country,” which evokes the songs by Bob Dylan, a Minnesota native who grew up on the iron range where the story takes place, is one of those Hollywood entertainments that strive to tell a hard, bitter story with as much uplift as possible”
Hustlers
The 2019 American crime comedy-drama film Hustlers also features a group of strong female leads, although Hustlers has a lighter tone compared to Asking for It. The film is written and directed by Lorene Scafaria, and is based on Jessica Pressler’s New York magazine article “The Hustlers at Scores.” Hustlers stars Constance Wu, Jennifer Lopez, Julia Stiles, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart, Lizzo, and Cardi B. The plot centers on a group of strippers who come up with a scheme for their Wall Street clients. In an article published by Vox, they compared the film to the biographical crime film Goodfellas and wrote, “Hustlers asks what a movie like Goodfellas looks like with women at the center of the story (up to and including a very funny cooking montage where Destiny and Ramona try to perfect the drug that will let them knock out fatcats so they can rip those fatcats off). But it also never loses sight of how the schemes these women undertake are just that. They may be desperate, but that doesn’t make anything they do admirable.”
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