You know from watching great movies during Women’s History Month that the female half of the human race has made great contributions. If you can believe it, there was a time when women weren’t allowed to vote until female protesters called the suffragettes made it happen. Here are five must-watch movies to learn about the women who fought the good fight for voting rights.
Suffragette (2015)
Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter revolt in Suffragette, which is about the women’s movement that took place in 1912 in the U.K. In one of the first movies filmed in the Houses of Parliament, Mulligan plays a 24-year-old laundress who gets caught up in a suffragette protest and becomes involved in the women’s movement inspired by people like Edith Ellyn, Emily Davidson, and Emmeline Pankhurst (played by Meryl Streep).
I’ve got to say, this historical drama was hard to watch because of seeing the heartbreaking struggles women went through like marriage strife, jail time, and force-feeding all so they could vote like the men in their lives could. Their actions may have been radical and a bit extreme. But, their intentions were genuine, getting the message out about gender equality and not giving up no matter how hard the government made it for them. Ultimately, those hard times were the stepping stones to the privileges women have now.
Iron Jawed Angels (2004)
Set in the United States during the 1910s, Iron Jawed Angels tells the true story of Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who led the National Women’s Party to secure women’s right to vote. These best friends faced numerous hardships, including inhumane treatment during their arrests and personal sacrifices for the cause.
Hilary Swank and Frances O’Connor had great budding chemistry portraying a friendship no one would dare mess with as they fought for a worthy cause. Not to mention, this was one of Vera Farmiga’s best movies, as she played Polish-American suffragist Ruza Wenclawska.
Though the film has some fictional elements, like the romance between Alice and Ben, the historical drama did a great job highlighting the importance of women having a voice in politics. Iron Jawed Angels also brought great awareness to the Black suffragettes who fought to have their presence and voices heard. Women back then knew that to influence unfair working conditions and better wages, the National Woman’s Party needed to band together and not back down so that their opinions could be taken as seriously as men’s.
Black Sorority Project (2006)
Derek & Jamar Productions created the documentary Black Sorority Project about 22 Black women at Howard University who participated in the 1913 Women’s Suffrage Parade. Through the use of historical photos and reenactments, we learn that female students at the predominately-Black Howard University had issues with racism and sexism that they wanted solved through the right to vote.
During the 19th and 20th centuries, Black women were subject to negative racial stereotypes that labeled them as uneducated and not fit for work outside of domestic services. After President Woodrow Wilson re-segregated public buildings in Washington D.C., female Howard University students were inspired by entrepreneur Madam C.J. Walker to create Delta Sigma Theta with a strong focus on public service and social activism.
Despite ostracism, these women were part of the 5,000 suffragettes who marched together at the parade to fight for the right to vote. Their historic participation greatly impacted Black women and women as a whole.
The Divine Order (2017)
While the 19th and early 20th century was the time that votes for women were granted, it took a lot longer for Switzerland. As shown in the comedy-drama, The Divine Order, a married homemaker is inspired to lead the women’s suffrage movement in 1971. While this one movement started as women having a voice in politics, it shaped the way women were treated in general. As women establish their independence and sexuality against the confines of rules put in place by men, we see this important movement changing a small Swiss village in significant ways with the 1971 referendum.
The character of Nora, played by Marie Leuenberger, is most the impressive, as she’s always believed in the women’s movement but was afraid to use her voice. After seeing protests happen in the streets of her Swiss farming village, she realizes she’s tired of the way women are treated by their husbands and that the right for women to vote is only the start of female empowerment.
She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry (2014)
Even if in many parts of the world women got the right to vote, there were still a lot of battles women couldn’t ignore. The documentary, She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, tells of specific movements women participated in during the ’60s and ‘70s so they would be thought of and taken seriously.
With a mix of archival footage and interviews with particular activists of those decades, we learn the strength women had while marching through the streets with signs fighting for reproductive rights, sexual freedom, and equal pay. They also brought further awareness to issues considered controversial at the time, like changing the victim-blaming narrative of sexual assault so more are comfortable talking about their experience.
Even though the women’s suffrage movement wasn’t the overall theme of She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, it still played a prominent role in the film’s conclusion to see activists standing together for the 1970 Women’s Strike for Equality, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 19th Amendment. Without this important milestone, women wouldn’t have had the courage to fight for more changes throughout time that would allow their needs to be met.
The Women’s Suffrage Movement was groundbreaking for women and the nation as a whole. These movies represent so many life-altering challenges the female population tirelessly went through to ensure everyone, regardless of sex, had a voice in policies. Must-watch movies like the ones mentioned show the courage, resilience, and sacrifices that female activists made in the face of oppression, inspiring women generations after to fight for other causes worthy of attention. You can add these female empowerment films to your streaming schedule on YouTube, Tubi, or with your Max subscription.