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Movies with a woman in the leading role

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Here a lists of films where the main character is a woman, including transwomen.
Last update december, the 23rd: this page will not be updated any longer. See the following hyperlinks.
You may be interested in these lists by Cinema genre: main genres (adventure, comedy, drama, fantasy...), other genres (docs, mystery, parody ; short film, TV movies...). Or this list about STEM roles.

Introduction

(In French: Présentation en français. Roughly a translation of the notes at the bottom of this webpage.)

In popular culture and media (mangas, films, comics, video games, series...) women are "locked" in supporting roles (aka role #2, #3, et caetera). "[In the USA] only 12% of all clearly identifiable protagonists were female in 2014".
When the main character of a fiction actually is a woman, they are often sexualized, criticized as "female" (this word is only acceptable as an adjective) ou "girl", confined in stereotypes roles (mother, nurse...), or portrayed first as a woman and not as a leader/ creator/ scientist, etc.

This is also why these "few exceptions" (rare movies with a woman as first character) are grouped this way in terms of sexualization. These lists may look long, but if you count by year, its remains poor regarding to the huge production of motion pictures lead by male character(s). And often white+heterosexual+cisgender, but this is another topic.

This page focuses on characters and stories, not on directors, screenwriters or technicians.

Pattern:

  • Original title in the country it got released (year it got released from its original country, director [director's gender].) Identity of the main character (actress). [Note(s) if applicable].

If you don't find a movie you think it would deserve to be listed here, try looking (CRTL + F) for the director, actress, character or year. Remember : the international title is not mentionned here, only the original title.

Summary

(Back to introduction.)

Not sexualized lead character (or uncertain or undetermined)

50's-80's

  • The Loves of Carmen (1948, Charles Vidor ♂). Carmen (Rita Hayworth).
  • Some Like It Hot (1959, Billy Wilder ♂). Sugar Kane Kowalczyk (Marilyn Monroe).
  • The Triple Echo (1972, Michael Apted ♂). Alice (Glenda Jackson).
  • Cambio de sexo (1977, Vicente Aranda ♂). José María / María José (Victoria Abril).
  • Alien (1979, Ridley Scott ♂). Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Credited as #2 role.
  • Tootsie (1982, Sydney Pollack ♂). Michael Dorsey / Dorothy Michaels (Dustin Hoffman).
  • Victor Victoria (1982, Blake Edwards ♂). Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews).
  • Yentl (1982, Barbra Streisand ♀). Yentl (Barbra Streisand).
  • Kaze no tani no Naushika (1984, anime by Hayao Miyazaki ♂). Nausicaä (voice by Sumi Shimamoto).
  • Louise... l'insoumise (1985, Charlotte Silvera ♀). Edith (Catherine Rouvel, who plays the mother of the girl which is the main character).
  • Mystère Alexina (1985, René Féret ♂). Alexina Barbin / Camille Barbin (Philippe Vuillemin);
  • Aliens (1986, James Cameron ♂). Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver). Second installment of the franchise.
  • Wish You Were Here (1987, David Leland ♂). Lynda (Emily Lloyd).
  • La travestie (1988, Yves Boisset ♂). Zabou Breitman (Nicole Armingault).
  • The Abyss (1989, James Cameron ♂). Dr. Lindsey Brigman (Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio). Credited as #2 character.
  • La petite voleuse (1988, Claude Miller ♂). Janine Castang (Charlotte Gainsbourg).
  • Black Girl (1966, Ousmane Sembene ♂). Diouana (Mbissine Thérèse Diop).
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Back to summary.

Not sexualized main character (or uncertain or undetermined) in the 90's

  • Nikita (1990, Luc Besson ♂). Nikita (Anne Parillaud).
  • Alien 3 (1992, David Fincher ♂). Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
  • The Piano (1993, Jane Campion ♀). Ada MacGrath (Holly Hunter). 1993's Palme d'Or (golden palm) ex æquo with Ba wang bie ji by Chen Kaige ♂.
  • The Quick and the Dead (1995, Sam Raimi ♂). Ellen (Sharon Stone).
  • Contact (1997, Robert Zemeckis ♂). Dr. Eleanor 'Ellie' Arroway (Jodie foster). Adapted from a book written by a man.
  • Smilla's Sense of Snow (1997, Bille August ♂). Smilla Jasperson (Julia Ormond). Adapted from a novel written by a man.
  • Ma vie en rose (1997, Alain Berliner ♂). Hanna Fabre (Michèle Laroque).
  • C'est la tangente que je préfère (1997, Charlotte Silvera ♀). Sabine (Julie Delarme).
  • Alien: Resurrection (1997, Jean-Pierre Jeunet ♂). Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver).
  • Lola rennt (1998, Tom Tykwer ♂). Lola (Franka Potente).
  • Thelma & Louise (1991, Ridley Scott ♂). Louise Sawyer (Susan Sarandon), Thelma (Geena Davis).
  • Cutthroat Island (1995, Renny Harlin ♂). Morgan Adams (Geena Davis).
  • Anastasia (1997, animated movie by Don Bluth ♂ & Gary Goldman ♂ for Fox Animation Studio). Anastacia (voice by Meg Ryan).
  • Sleeping with the Enemy (1991, Joseph Ruben ♂). Laura Burney (Julia Roberts).
  • Mulan (1998, animated motion picture by Tony Bancroft ♂ & Barry Cook ♂ for Disney). Mulan (voice bu Ming-Na Wen, except for the singing: Lea Salonga).
  • Safe (1995, Todd Haynes ♂). Carol White (Julianne Moore).
  • Maboroshi no hikari (1995, Hirokazu Koreeda ♂). Yumiko (Makiko Esumi).
  • The Well (1997, Samantha Lang ♀). Heister (Pamela Rabe), Katherine (Miranda Otto).
  • Mon père, ma mère, mes frères et mes soeurs... (1999, Charlotte De Turckheim ♀). Anne (Victoria Abril).
  • Gazon maudit (1995, Josiane Balasko ♀). Loli (Victoria Abril).
  • Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986, Penny Marshall ♀). Terry Dolittle (Whoopi Goldberg).
  • Virus (1999, John Bruno ♂). Kit Foster (Jamie Lee Curtis).
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Back to summary.

Not sexualized first character (or uncertain or undetermined) in the years 2000's

  • The House of Mirth (2000, Terence Davies ♂). Lily Bart (Gillian Anderson). Adapted from a book.
  • Le fabuleux destin d'Amélie Poulain (2001, Jean-Pierre Jeunet ♂). Amélie Poulain (Audrey Tautou).
  • Paï (2002, Niki Caro ♀). Paikea (Keisha Castle-Hughes).
  • Down to the bone (2004, Debra Granik ♀). Irene (Vera Farmiga).
  • Nanny McPhee (2005, Kirk Jones ♂). Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson).
  • Volver (2006, Pedro Almodóvar Caballero ♂). Raimunda (Penélope Cruz).
  • Juno (2007, Jason Reitman ♂). Juno MacGuff (Ellen Page).
  • Nothing but the Truth (2008, Rod Lurie ♂). Rachel Armstrong (Kate Beckinsale). Inspired by a true story.
  • Naissance des pieuvres (2007, Céline Sciamma ♀). Marie (Pauline Acquart), Anne (Louise Blachère), Floriane (Adèle Haenel).
  • Joueuse (2009, Caroline Bottaro ♀). Hélène (Sandrine Bonnaire).
  • Stray Dogs (2002, Catherine Crouch ♀). Darla Carter (Guinevere Turner), Jolene Carter (Dot-Marie Jones).
  • Hedwig and the Angry Inch (2001, John Cameron Mitchell ♂). Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell).
  • Possession (2008, Joel Bergvall ♂, Simon Sandquist ♂). Jess (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
  • Hairspray (2007, Adam Shankman ♂). Edna Turnblad (John Travolta).
  • Water (2005, Deepa Mehta ♀). Chuyia (Sarala Kariyawasam).
  • Persepolis (2007, Vincent Paronnaud ♂, Marjane Satrapi ♀). Marjane (voice by Chiara Mastroianni).
  • En la ciudad de Sylvia (2007, José Luis Guerín ♂). Sylvia (Pilar López de Ayala).
  • The Magdalene Sisters (2002, Peter Mullan ♂). Sister Bridget (Geraldine McEwan), Margaret (Anne-Marie Duff), Bernadette (Nora-Jane Noone)...
  • Amelia (2009, Mira Nair ♀). Amelia Earhart (Hilary Swank).
  • The Book of Esther (2013, David A.R. White ♂). Esthern (Jen Lilley).
  • Flipped (2010, Rob Reiner ♂). Madeline Carroll (Juli Baker).
  • Avalon (2001, Mamoru Oshii ♂). Ash (Malgorzata Foremniak).
  • Landes (2013, François-Xavier Vives ♂). Liéna Duprat (Marie Gillain).
  • Arîte hime (2001, anime by Sunao Katabuchi ♂). Princess Arîte (voice by Houko Kuwashima). Adapted from a novel.
  • Mu-rim-yeo-dae-saeng (2008, Jae-young Kwak ♂). So-hwi (Min-a Shin).
  • Sakasama no Patema (2001, Yasuhiro Yoshiura ♂). Patema (voice by Yukiyo Fujii).
  • Lilo & Stitch (2002, amination film by Dean DeBlois ♂ & Chris Sanders ♂ for Disney). Lilo (Daveigh Chase).
  • I Am Dina (2002, Ole Bornedal ♂). Dina (Maria Bonnevie).
  • Umimachi Diary (2015, Hirokazu Koreeda ♂). Sachi (Haruka Ayase), Yoshino (Masami Nagasawa) & Chika (Kaho)
  • Hana to Arisu (2004, Shunji Iwai ♂). Hana (Anne Suzuki) & Setsuko "Alice" Arisugawa (Yû Aoi)
  • Coraline (2009, animated film by Henry Selick ♂). Coraline Jones (voice by Dakota Fanning).
  • Les Aristos (2006, Charlotte De Turckheim ♀). La comtesse Solange (Charlotte De Turckheim).
  • Moolaadé (2004, Ousmane Sembene ♂). Collé Gallo Ardo Sy (Fatoumata Coulibaly).
  • Year of the Dog (2007, Mike White ♂). Peggy (Molly Shannon).
  • Cargo (2009, Ivan Engler ♂ & Ralph Etter ♂). Laura Portmann (Anna Katharina Schwabroh).
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Not sexualized central character (or uncertain or undetermined) from years 2010 to 2013

  • Salt (2010, Phillip Noyce ♂). Evelyn Salt (Angelina Jolie).
  • Winter's Bone (2010, Debra Granik ♀). Ree (Jennifer Lawrence).
  • Convinction (2010, Tony Goldwyn ♂). Betty Anne Waters (Hilary Swank).
  • Elektra (2010, Shyamaprasad ♂). Elektra (Nayantara), Diana (Manisha Koirala).
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  • The Whistleblower (2011, Larysa Kondracki ♀). Kathryn Bolkovac (Rachel Weisz). Adapted from a book written by a man, based on a true story.
  • The Lady (2011, Luc Besson ♂). Aung San Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoh).
  • Carnage (2011, Roman Polanski ♂). Penelope Longstreet (Jodie Foster), Nancy Cowan (Kate Winslet).
  • We Need to Talk About Kevin (2011, Lynne Ramsay ♀). Eva Khatchadourian (Tilda Swinton).
  • The Help (2011, Tate Taylor ♂). Aibileen Clark (Viola Davis), Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Emma Stone), Minny Jackson (Octavia Spencer), Celia Foote (Jessica Chastain), Hilly Holbrook (Bryce Dallas Howard), Charlotte Phelan (Allison Janney), Elizabeth Leefolt (Ahna O'Reilly). Adapted from a novel written by a woman.
  • Tomboy (2011, Céline Sciamma ♀). Laure/Mickaël (Zoé Heran).
  • Escalade (2011, Charlotte Silvera ♀). Carmen Maura (Alice Nabat).
  • The Hunger Games (2012, Gary Ross ♂). Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence). Adapted from a series of novels series written by a woman.
  • Après la bataille (2012, Yousry Nasrallah ♂) . Reem (Mena Shalaby).
  • وجدة‎ (2012, Haifaa Al-Mansour ♀). Mother (Reem Abdullah), Wadjda (Waad Mohammed).
  • Brave (2012, animated film by Mark Andrews ♂, Brenda Chapman ♀, Steve Purcell ♂ for Pixar). Merida (voice by Kelly Macdonald).
  • おおかみこどもの雨と雪 (2012, anime by 細田 守 ♂). 花 (宮﨑 あおい).
  • The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013 , Francis Lawrence ♂). Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).
  • The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013, Harald Zwart ♂). Clary (Lily Collins).
  • Zero Dark Thirty (2013, Kathryn Bigelow ♀). Maya (Jessica Chastain).
  • Rubinrot (2013, Felix Fuchssteiner ♂). Lucy Montrose (Josefine Preuß).
  • Zwei Mütter (2013, Anne Zohra Berrached ♀). Isabella Bürgelin (Karina Plachetka), Katja Maria Maisch (Sabine Wolf).
  • Kaguyahime no monogatari (2013, anime by Isao Takahata ♂). The Princess Kaguya (voice by Chloë Grace Moretz).
  • Far from the Madding Crowd (2015, Thomas Vinterberg ♂). Bathsheba Everdene (Carey Mulligan).
  • Woman in Gold (2015, Simon Curtis ♂). Helen Mirren (Maria Altmann).
  • Marie Krøyer (2012, Bille August ♂). Marie Krøyer (Birgitte Hjort Sørensen).
  • The Debt (2011, John Madden ♂). Rachel Singer (Helen Mirren).
  • Paradies: Liebe (2012, Ulrich Seidl ♂). Teresa (Margarethe Tiesel).
  • Paradies: Glaube (2012, Ulrich Seidl ♂). Anna Maria (Maria Hofstätter).
  • Paradies: Hoffnung (2013, Ulrich Seidl ♂). Melanie (Melanie Lenz), Verena (Verena Lehbauer).
  • Aya de Yopougon (2013, animated movie by Marguerite Abouet ♀ & Clément Oubrerie ♂). Aya (voice by Aïssa Maïga).
  • Sarah préfère la course (2013, Chloé Robichaud ♀). Sarah Lepage (Sophie Desmarais).
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Back to summary.

Not sexualized leading character (or uncertain or undetermined) over the latest two years (2014 & 2015 & upcoming)

  • Wild (2014, Jean-Marc Vallée ♂). Cheryl (Reese Witherspoon).
  • Cake (2014, Daniel Barnz ♂). Claire Bennett (Jennifer Aniston).
  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1 (2014, Francis Lawrence ♂). Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence).
  • Bande de filles (2014, Céline Sciamma ♀). Marieme/Vic (Karidja Touré), Lady/Sophie (Assa Sylla), Adiatou (Lindsay Karamoh), Fily (Mariétou Touré). Intersectionality: all these 4 characters are black young women.
  • Philomena (2014, Stephen Frears ♂). Philomena (Judi Dench).
  • Mercenaries (2014, Christopher Ray ♂). Cassandra Clay (Zoë Bell), Kat Morgan (Kristanna Loken), Raven (Vivica A. Fox), Ulrika (Brigitte Nielsen), Mona (Cynthia Rothrock), Mei-Lin Fong (Nicole Bilderback).
  • What We Did on Our Holiday (2014, Andy Hamilton ♂, Guy Jenkin ♂). Abi (Rosamund Pike).
  • Lucy (2014, Luc Besson ♂). Lucy (Scarlett Johansson).
  • Soul Surfer (2011, Sean McNamara ♂). Bethany Hamilton (Anna Sophia Robb). Inspired by a true story.
  • Gett (2014, Ronit Elkabetz ♀, Shlomi Elkabetz ♂). Viviane Amsalem (Ronit Elkabetz).
  • Next to Her (2014, Asaf Korman ♂). Chelli (Liron Ben-Shlush), Shifra (Liat Goren).
  • Fair Game (2010, Doug Liman ♂). Valerie Plame (Naomi Watts).
  • Los Niños Salvajes (2012, Patricia Ferreira ♀). Oky (Marina Comas).
  • Danbé, la tête haute (2015, Bourlem Guerdjou ♂). Aya (Tatiana Rojo).
  • Zaïna, cavalière de l'Atlas (2005, Bourlem Guerdjou ♂). Zaïna (Aziza Nadir).
  • Dyke Hard (2014, Bitte Andersson ♀). Riff (Lina Kurttila), Peggy (Peggy Sands), Scotty (Maria Wågensjö), Bandito (Alle Eriksson) & Dawn (Iki Gonzalez Magnusson).
  • Tusen ganger god natt (2015, Erik Poppe ♂). Rebecca (Juliette Binoche).
  • Hot Pursuit (2015, Anne Fletcher ♀). Cooper (Reese Witherspoon), Daniella Riva (Sofía Vergara).
  • The Age of Adaline (2015, Lee Toland Krieger ♂). Adaline Bowman (Blake Lively).
  • Les Chaises musicales (2015, Marie Belhomme ♀). Perrine (Isabelle Carré).
  • Final Girl (2015, Tyler Shields ♂). Veronica (Abigail Breslin).
  • Inside Out (2015, animated movie by Pete Docter ♂ & Ronaldo Del Carmen ♂ for Disney & Pixar). Riley (Kaitlyn Dias), Joy (Amy Poehler), Sadness (Phyllis Smith), Disgust (Mindy Kaling) + Fear & Anger who are gendered as male.
  • Carol (2015, Todd Haynes ♂). Carol Aird (Cate Blanchett) & Therese
  • Gazon maudit (1995, Josiane Balasko ♀). Loli (Victoria Abril). Belivet (Rooney Mara).
  • Sicario (2015, Denis Villeneuve ♂). Kate Macy (Emily Blunt).
  • Lore (2012, Cate Shortland ♀). Hannelore Dressler (Saskia Rosendahl).
  • Hannah Arendt (2012, Margarethe von Trotta ♀). Hannah Arendt (Barbara Sukowa).
  • Barbara (2012, Christian Petzold ♂). Barbara (Nina Hoss).
  • Yella (2007, Christian Petzold ♂). Yella Fichte (Nina Hoss).
  • Phoenix (2014, Christian Petzold ♂). Nelly Lenz (Nina Hoss).
  • The Girl (2012, David Riker ♂). Ashley (Abbie Cornish).
  • Cha no aji (2004, Katsuhito Ishii ♂). Sachiko Haruno (Maya Banno).
  • San Andreas Quake (2015, John Baumgartner ♂). the seismologist Molly Dunn (Jhey Castles).
  • Nie yin niang (2015, Hsiao-hsien Hou ♂). ? (Qi Shu).
  • Mia madre (2015, Nanni Moretti ♂). Margherita (Margherita Buy).
  • Refugiado (2015, Diego Lerman ♂). Laura (Julieta Diaz).
  • Tammy (2014, Ben Falcone ♂). Tammy (Melissa McCarthy) & Pearl (Susan Sarandon).
  • Les Gazelles (2014, Mona Achache ♀). Marie (Camille Chamoux).
  • Survivor (2015, James McTeigue ♂). Kate Abbott (Milla Jovovich).
  • Mustang (2015, Deniz Gamze Ergüven ♂). Lale (Günes Sensoy), Nur (Doga Zeynep Doguslu), Ece (Elit Iscan), Selma (Tugba Sunguroglu), Sonay (Ilayda Akdogan).
  • Difret (2014, Zeresenay Berhane Mehari ♂). Meaza Ashenafi (Meron Getnet) & Hirut Assefa (Tizita Hagere).
  • Lost River (2014, Ryan Gosling ♂). Billy (Christina Hendricks).
  • Annie (2014, Will Gluck ♂). Annie (Quvenzhané Wallis).
  • Annie (1982, John Huston ♂). Annie (Aileen Quinn).
  • La Volante (2015, Christophe Ali ♂ & Nicolas Bonilauri ♂). Marie-France (Nathalie Baye).
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Somehow- or slightly sexualized lead character

70's-2009

  • Bound (1996, siblings Andy ♂ & Lana Wachowski ♀, who was then-known as "Larry"). Violet (Jennifer Tilly), Corky (Gina Gershon).
  • 8 femmes (2002, François Ozon ♂). Mamy (Danielle Darrieux), Gaby (Danielle Darrieux), Augustine (Isabelle Huppert), Louise (Emmanuelle Béart), Pierrette (Fanny Ardant), Suzon (Virginie Ledoyen), Catherine (Ludivine Sagnier), Madame Chanel (Firmine Richard).
  • Kill Bill: Volume 1 (2003, Quentin Tarantino ♂). The Bride (Uma Thurman).
  • Gothika (2003, Mathieu Kassovitz ♂). Dr. Miranda Grey (Halle Berry).
  • Pride & Prejudice (2005, Joe Wright ♂). Elizabeth Bennet (Keira Knightley).
  • The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe (2005, Andrew Adamson ♂). Lucy Pevensie (Georgie Henley). First instalment of the movie adaptations based on the book series.
  • The Devil Wears Prada (2006, David Frankel ♂). Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep), Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), Emily (Emily Blunt). Adapted from a book.
  • Resident Evil: Extinction (2007, Russell Mulcahy ♂). Alice (Milla Jovovich).
  • Twilight (2008, Catherine Hardwicke ♀). Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Adapted from a novel series written by a woman.
  • The Twilight Saga: New Moon (2009, Chris Weitz ♂). Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Volume 2 of the saga.
  • La vie d'Adèle (2013, Abdellatif Kechiche ♂). Emma (Léa Seydoux), Adèle (Adèle Exarchopoulos). 2013's Palme d'or (Best Director + Best Actress to both actresses).
  • Monster (2003, Patty Jenkins ♂). Aileen (Charlize Theron), Selby (Christina Ricci).
  • North Country (2005, Niki Caro ♀). Josey Aimes (Charlize Theron).
  • Easy A (2010, Will Gluck ♂) Olive (Emma Stone).
  • The Machine (2013, Caradog W. James ♂). Ava/The Machine (Caity Lotz).
  • Pocahontas (1995, animated film by Mike Gabriel ♂ & Eric Goldberg ♂ for Walt Disney). Pocahontas (voice by Irene Bedard, excepted for songs: Judy Kuhn).
  • Pocahontas: The Legend (1995, Danièle J. Suissa ♀). Pocahontas (Sandrine Holt).
  • Trainwreck (2015, Judd Apatow ♂). Amy (Amy Schumer).
  • The Monkey's Mask (2000, Samantha Lang ♀). Jill Fitzpatrick (Susie Porter) & Mickey Norris (Abbie Cornish).
  • Anaconda (1997, Luis Llosa ♂). Terri Flores (Jennifer Lopez).
  • Open Waters (2004, Chris Kentis ♂). Susan (Blanchard Ryan).
  • Black Water (2007, David Nerlich ♂ & Andrew Traucki ♂). Grace (Diana Glenn).
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Somehow- or slightly sexualized 1st female character since 2010

  • The Twilight Saga: Eclipse (2010, David Slade ♂). Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Credited as #2 role. Volume 3 of the adaptation of the book series.
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 1 (2011, Bill Condon ♂). Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart). Credited as #6 role. Volume 4 of the movie adaptation.
  • The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2 (2012, Bill Condon ♂). Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart).
  • Türkisch für Anfänger (2012, Bora Dağtekin ♂). Lena Schneider (Josefine Preuß).
  • De rouille et d'os (2012, Jacques Audiard ♂). Stéphanie (Marion Cotillard).
  • Carrie (2013, Kimberly Peirce ♀). Margaret White (Julianne Moore), Carrie White (Chloë Grace Moretz).
  • Gravity (2013, Alfonso Cuarón Orozco ♂). Dr. Ryan (Sandra Bullock).
  • Frozen (2013, animated movie by Chris Buck ♂ & Jennifer Lee ♀ for Disney). Sisters Anna (voice by Kristen Bell) & Elsa (voice by Idina Menzel).
  • Vampire Academy (2014, Mark Waters ♂). Rose Hathaway (Zoey Deutch), Lissa Dragomir (Lucy Fry).
  • Divergent (2014, Neil Burger ♂). Tris (Shailene Woodley). Adapted from a novel series written by a woman.
  • Maleficent (2014, Robert Stromberg ♂). Maleficent (Angelina Jolie).
  • Perfect Mothers (2013, Anne Fontaine ♀). Lil (Naomi Watts), Roz (Robin Wright).
  • Spy (2015, Paul Feig ♂). Susan Cooper (Melissa McCarthy).
  • Pitch Perfect (2013, Jason Moore ♂). Beca (Anna Kendrick).
  • Somersault (2004, Cate Shortland ♀). Heidi (Abbie Cornish).
  • Cruel Intentions (1999, Roger Kumble ♂). Kathryn Merteuil (Sarah Michelle Gellar).
  • Grandma (2015, Paul Weitz ♂). Elle Reid (Lily Tomlin), Sage (Julia Garner).
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Sexualized- or really sexualized lead character

  • Barbarella (1968, Roger Vadim ♂). Barbarella (Jane Fonda).
  • Erin Brockovich (2000, Steven Soderbergh ♂). Erin Brockovich (Julia Roberts). Based on the actual whistleblower's life.
  • Catwoman (2004, Pitof ♂). Patience Phillips/Catwoman (Halle Berry).
  • Mean Girls (2004, Mark Waters ♂). Cady Heron (Lindsay Lohan).
  • Tom Raider. Lara Croft (Angelina Jolie). Adapted from the video games series.
  • UnderWorld (2003, Len Wiseman ♂). Selene (Kate Beckinsale,). First instalment of the franchise.
  • Elektra (2005, Rob Bowman ♂). Elektra (Jennifer Garner).
  • Sucker Punch (2011, Zack Snyder ♂). Babydoll (Emily Browning), Sweet Pea (Abbie Cornish), Rocket (Jena Malone), Blondie (Vanessa Hudgens), Amber (Jamie Chung), Dr. Vera Gorski (Carla Gugino).
  • Planet Terror (2007, Robert Rodriguez ♂). Cherry Darling (Rose McGowan).
  • Sin City (2005, Frank Miller ♂, Robert Rodriguez ♂, Quentin Tarantino ♂). Nancy Callahan (Jessica Alba).
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See also

Notes

  • These lists focuses on characters in fiction film released in theaters, so they don't feature movies that comes in some genres : documentary, child-movie, teen-movie, TV movie and off course some minor genres (porn, horror, torture porn, etc) who are distributed through specific channels.
  • IMDB was used as the primary source for all data, especially the credits order.
  • They are also foreign (non-US, non English-speaking) and/or independent movies, because... the world !
  • These lists are subject to discussion, for several reasons, like:
    • HOW MUCH is REALLY sexualized such character is THIS film ? (IMHO... as a cisgender man, I'm not the most relevant person to judge this, and honestly, I haven't watched one third of all movies listed on this page.)
    • Does THIS character ACTUALLY deserve to be considered as the MAIN character, while the end credits list her only at #2 rank? [Non applicable if end credits of the movie are in alphabetical order or in order of appearance.] (IMHO: YES for some times, e.g. Ellen Ripley in the Alien franchise. You have to know this order is based on the number of lines pronounced by the comedian. But a line could be ONE word or a FULL PARAGRAPH. The importance of a character is not based ONLY on lines number or time on screen ; WHAT SHE DOES during the film ALSO DEFINITELY MATTERS.)
    • MUST we name EVERY female characters of this motion picture (until the credits say a male character), on the only criteria they're women ? (IMHO: not always, because some movies'story are based on a duet of actresses, so all roles beyond the #2's are supporting roles and no longer the main roles.)
    • Is it RELEVANT to include in these lists the movies based on a group of people, where the movie's first characters de facto are women, while the male characters of this same group have almost the same number of lines, e.g. The Chronicles of Narnia ? I mean: these female characters may not be the actual main characters... (Or while it's not always the case in the book it's adapted from... ?) (IMHO : Perhaps... Actually I don't really know how to handle this.)
  • These lists includes trans women/girls characters, i.e. a human being who feels their gender is female (aka a woman) while she were born in a male-sexuated body, but not some motion pictures which do not portray transwomen in a respectful manner, according to non-profit organizations like Chrysalide or Support Transgenre Strasbourg.
  • This page is edited by a white queer man.
  • This is my wiki, I use it because it's easy & convenient to edit. But i don't want anybody to edit thoses pages, any page of the whole wiki (because of spamming, vandalism, #mansplaining, etc), so you can't modify this wiki, sorry. \\ BUT feel free to share these lists (CC 0, #datalove <3). You may want to create your own lists based on other minorities (muslim-, handicaped-, ginger-, trans-, short-, hispanic people, etc), media format (TV movie, Japan anime...), creation context (short movie, student work, crowdfunded film) or role type (scientist, geek/engineer, entrepreneur, sporty/military, gendefuck...). Text code for this page (not MarkDown, but almost, via a plug-in).

Short URLs to share this webpage: http://tiny.cc/women or https://paf.lu/women (leads to the httpS version of this page).

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Page mise à jour le 25 12 2015 à 19h07