Over the years, movies written and directed by women have aried based on different styles, messages, and people appearing in the film, such as Barbie” and American Psycho. Today, I’m going to be reviewing the top three movies directed by women based on some crowd favorites.

Lady Bird – Directed by Greta Gerwig
Starting with Lady Bird, Greta Gerwig sets the perfect example of the “girl experience.” She asks what being a mother, friend, and daughter means. In the film Lady Bird, the main protagonist, Christine (Saoirse Ronan), goes through the experience of being a teenage girl. She has a small house and a family struggling to stay afloat. Christine, the main character, changes her name to “Ladybird” at the beginning of the film to create her sense of identity. Ladybird then goes on to experience heartbreak and what it means to grow up trying to fit in.

This film is truly beautiful. It is highly relatable, especially for young women who weren’t sure where they belonged. The movie itself is also very visually appealing. The film’s color is clear, vibrant, and saturated, and the cinematography is gorgeous. The editing flows cohesively, and the movie is straightforward and heartfelt.

I found myself relating to Ladybird’s mother-daughter relationship with her mother. The coming-of-age angsty and grunge aspect is raw. It feels so authentic. I cried when I needed to, but I also felt a massive wave of relief when an issue was resolved between the characters.

The movie overall is a very solid 9/10. Saoirse Ronan did a phenomenal job setting the stage for who Ladybird is and did so wonderfully in every aspect of the movie. Greta did a fantastic job with the writing and everything else. Although I enjoy this movie, I would not put this movie on before sleeping or relaxing at home.

Little Women (2019) – Directed by Greta Gerwig
Little Women is a film focused on women. While the film focuses on authentic things, such as a father leaving for war and battling or the early death of a beloved main character in the movie, the film still focuses on the squabbling sisters.
Jo March is an aspiring writer in New York, and her sister, Amy, creates paintings in Paris. Amy encounters Theodore, Jo’s old love interest, and their sister’s illness. Beth brings their family back together.

After asking a sophomore at Lafayette High School, Anna Williams, what her opinions were on the movie, “I realized when I was younger that the movie was boring. After watching it when I was older, I realized all of the details of the movie and how complex the characters were.”

The movie itself is excellent, and it touches a lot on what it’s like to be a woman and what girlhood and growing up with sisters are all about.

Boys Don’t Cry – Directed by Kimberly Peirce
This film is tough to watch. Not in the sense that the movie itself is terrible, but the film has themes of murder, as well as assault, and figuring out who you are as a person. ‘Boys Don’t Cry’ isn’t like any other coming-of-age movie such as ‘Love Simon’ or the hit Netflix show ‘Heartstopper’. It is a lot darker and based on a real-life event of an unrightfully murdered Brandon Teena, formerly Teena Brandon.

Brandon Teena lived in the deep depths of the country, met new friends and hung around pickup trucks, fell in love, and lived in her word while wearing an ace bandage around her chest and cowboy boots on foot.

The story is based around Brandon Teena as a whole. It doesn’t force you to see Teena as a victim, nor does it villainize her. You sit there, and it is gut-wrenching because you know a huge turning point in the film is bound to happen, just not when. It’s a beautifully written movie, and the message is one you will sit and reflect on for quite a while after watching.

These movies aren’t the best, in everybody’s opinion. Of course, you can like other movies better. However, after watching films directed and created by women, these are definitely in my top three, and I would recommend them to anybody who will listen. The movies have a unique style and storyline, making them vastly different; however, they are all still good watches. If you are surfing through streaming sites one night and don’t know what to watch, try one!