Stuck
At what moment do you realize that you have been stuck in one place for too long? These are the films that focus on women struggling in the stagnant waters of life, trying to find their way to a more fulfilling and liberating existence.
The Woman Who Ran
(도망친 여자)
When her husband goes away on business, a woman visits her friends to ruminate over marriage, closeness, and the shapes of their friendships.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Korea • 2020
- Director Hong Sang-soo
- Cast Kim Min-hee, Seo Young-hwa, Song Seon-mi, Kim Sae-byuk, Kwon Hae-hyo, Lee Eun-mi
- Genre Drama
- Available on Metrograph, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, YouTube
Happy Hour
(ハッピーアワー)
Jun, Akari, Sakurako, and Fumi truly believe that they can confide in each other, until Jun confesses that she's seeking a divorce from her husband and the news upsets the other three.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 2018
- Director Ryūsuke Hamaguchi
- Cast Hiromi Demura, Shoko Fukunaga, Yuichiro Ito, Rira Kawamura, Hazuki Kikuchi
- Genre Drama
- Available on No streaming locations found.
Things to Come
(L'avenir)
Thinking through things is one thing; doing them is another...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany • 2016
- Director Mia Hansen-Løve
- Cast Isabelle Huppert, André Marcon, Edith Scob, Roman Kolinka, Sarah Le Picard, Solal Forte
- Genre Drama
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC+ Roku Premium Channel, IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
I Am Love
(Io sono l'amore)
Emma, an unfulfilled mother of three adult children, finds her senses rekindled by her son's friend.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy • 2009
- Director Luca Guadagnino
- Cast Tilda Swinton, Flavio Parenti, Edoardo Gabbriellini, Alba Rohrwacher, Gabriele Ferzetti, Marisa Berenson
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, VUDU Free, DistroTV, Kanopy, Hoopla, Plex, Plex Channel
The Piano
A pianist who has been sold into marriage begins a new life with her daughter by her side.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- New Zealand, Australia, France • 1993
- Director Jane Campion
- Cast Holly Hunter, Harvey Keitel, Sam Neill, Anna Paquin, Cliff Curtis, Kerry Walker
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Apple TV
A Woman Like Eve
(Een Vrouw als Eva)
A married mother of two finds herself irresistibly drawn to a young feminist and commune-dweller.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Netherlands • 1979
- Director Nouchka van Brakel
- Cast Monique van de Ven, Maria Schneider, Marijke Merckens, Peter Faber, Renée Soutendijk, Truus Dekker
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Fandor Amazon Channel, Night Flight Plus, Cultpix, Fandango At Home, Tubi TV, VUDU Free, Kanopy, Hoopla
Jeanne Dielman, 23, Quai du Commerce 1080 Bruxelles
A lonely widowed housewife cares for her apartment and teenage son, and uses sex work to make ends meet.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Belgium, France • 1975
- Director Chantal Akerman
- Cast Delphine Seyrig, Jan Decorte, Henri Storck, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Yves Bical
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Belle de Jour
(Belle de jour)
Luis Bunuel's erotic masterpiece.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1967
- Director Luis Buñuel
- Cast Catherine Deneuve, Jean Sorel, Michel Piccoli, Geneviève Page, Pierre Clémenti, Françoise Fabian
- Genre Drama, Romance
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Cléo from 5 to 7
(Cléo de cinq à sept)
A young singer awaiting life-changing medical results embarks on a journey of self-discovery.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1962
- Director Agnès Varda
- Cast Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique Davray, Dorothée Blanck, Michel Legrand, José Luis de Vilallonga
- Genre Comedy, Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
Vivre Sa Vie
(Vivre sa vie: film en douze tableaux)
A young Parisian woman’s existential crisis — and eventual turn to sex work.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 1962
- Director Jean-Luc Godard
- Cast Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André S. Labarthe, Guylaine Schlumberger, Gérard Hoffman, Monique Messine
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Kanopy
When a Woman Ascends the Stairs
(女が階段を上る時)
A middle-aged bar hostess, constantly in debt, is faced with numerous social constraints and challenges.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Japan • 1960
- Director Mikio Naruse
- Cast Hideko Takamine, Masayuki Mori, Reiko Dan, Tatsuya Nakadai, Daisuke Katō, Ganjirô Nakamura II
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel
Nights of Cabiria
(Le notti di Cabiria)
The story of a betrayed but unquenchable little Roman street-walker.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France • 1957
- Director Federico Fellini
- Cast Giulietta Masina, François Périer, Franca Marzi, Amedeo Nazzari, Dorian Gray, Aldo Silvani
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Video