| Nicole Rojas-Oltmanns |
Thelma and Louise plays at the Heights Theater on Thursday, March 6th, as part of our collaboration on the 16th Noir Festival. For tickets, showtimes, and other series information, visit trylon.org.
Geena Davis, who plays Thelma, remarked, “After Thelma and Louise (1991, directed by Ridley Scott), people said things would improve for women in film. They didn’t.”¹ So, in 2004 she created The Geena Davis Institute to better understand disparities between representation of men and women on screen and give direction for TV and film creators to pull their weight in the remedy.
I was six years old when Thelma and Louise was released. I came of age when the Geena Davis Institute was created. In my twenties, my grandfather compared my future wife and I to Thelma and Louise. He meant it as a compliment, acknowledging the vast appeal and respect the duo garnered from men and women alike.
Much has happened in the world of film in the thirty-four years since this iconic film was released. Thanks to many persistent people, including Davis, there is now a steadily increasing number of films that represent the realistic lives of women and girls. In fact, in their yearly review, The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film found parity for lead roles between men and women in last year’s top grossing films.² A slow rise opening to a vastness of possibilities.
As the film industry slowly changes, the women in these films become more real. I have been shaped, sometimes imperceptibly, by many films, the women in them, and the women behind the scenes. This is a selection of my favorites among these films, made in the years between Thelma and Louise and now:
A League of Their Own (1992, directed by Penny Marshall)
I loved this film as a young person. Before watching this film with our kids, our car was named Mae by our youngest child after the astronaut, Mae Jemison. They were introduced to another Mae in this film, who in real life is Maybelle Blair, a former pitcher with the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League, and a now 98 year old badass lesbian who promotes girls’ baseball.³ We now call our car, “All the Way Mae.” Works for both.
Clueless (1995, directed by Amy Heckerling)
“Cause I’m keeping it real.” Jane Austen, skaters, and a soundtrack.
Harriet the Spy (1996, directed by Bronwen Hughes)
The golden age of Nickelodeon, when weirdos reigned, and the sets were almost as magnificent as the costumes.
Chocolat (2000, directed by Lasse Hallström)
When our youngest asks why my wife and I are so strange, we say, “Why can’t you wear black shoes like the other mothers?” Plus, I love chocolate.
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003, directed by Audrey Wells)
Serendipity, friends raising a lesbian-made baby together, and pasta. Dreamy.
Waitress (2007, directed by Adrienne Shelly)
Pie and a reminder of the trapped feelings of my blue-collar roots.
Nim’s Island (2008, directed by Jennifer Flackett and Mark Levin)
Somehow, I relate with both Nim, the adventurous, and Alex, the agoraphobic. I love volcanoes and lizards, but, as I’ve said many times, I could be agoraphobic, but I’m not okay with other people picking out my avocados.
The Secret Life of Bees (2008, directed by Gina Prince-Bythewood)
Queen Latifah. A girl escaping her family. Honey.
Where Do We Go Now? / Et maintenant on va où? (2011, directed by Nadine Labaki)
Hiding the guns while the men are distracted, switching religions to end a conflict, and a random song and dance number involving food. Brilliant.
Pariah (2011, directed by Dee Rees)
A film about being genderqueer and a mother who wants you to be high fem, wrapped in a heartbreaking poem. Yes.
Pitch Perfect (2012, directed by Jason Moore)
I am just as confused by the norms of niche social groups. Plus, they make weird mouth noises.
Steel Magnolias (2012, directed by Kenny Leon)
This is the Queen Latifah version of the film. The first one was great, but the way she delivers several of the lines is perfection. Especially about all of the men leaving the hospital room when she lets her daughter be disconnected from life support. The film’s namesake, made of steel.
The Amazing Catfish / Los Insólitos Peces Gato (2013, directed by Claudia Sainte-Luce)
I am a sucker for cleverly breaking the fourth wall and accepting people into your life when the moment feels right.
In a World… (2013, directed by Lake Bell)
Supportive sisters, and a smoothie joke that can be stopped.
Laggies (2014, directed by Lynn Shelton)
The unexpected chemistry of Sam Rockwell and Keira Knightley is only upstaged by the unusual and life-changing relationship between 30ish Megan, played by Knightley, and teenaged Annika. Sometimes you just need a young person to tell you to pull your head out of your ass and keep your mouth off my dad until you’re emotionally and ethically available.
Inside Out (2015, directed by Pete Docter and Ronnie Del Carmen)
Sadness and Joy. You know what I mean.
20th Century Women (2016, directed by Mike Mills)
Reminds me of a line from Fight Club (1999, directed by David Fincher), “A generation of men raised by women.” Aren’t they all?
In Between / Bar Bahar (2016, directed by Maysaloun Hamoud)
Three women Leila, Salma, and Nour navigate life together through relationships, religion, expectations, dreams, and the desire to wear black clothing.
Woman at War / Kona fer í stríð (2018, directed by Benedikt Erlingsson)
Sisters, Halla and Ása, attempt to save the world in opposite ways; sabotage and meditation. As the twin sisters are both played by one actor, their disagreements and sacrifices become the complexities within each of us. Also, magical realism, and an accordion.
A Simple Favor (2018, directed by Paul Feig)
As brilliant as it is terrifying. Stephanie, determined to play the mom role and slowly slipping into badass as her manipulative and unstable friendship with Emily navigates many twists.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire / Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (2019, directed by Céline Sciamma)
The looks they give each other. The understanding. The passion. Watching this film with a young man, he asked, “Why are they mad at each other?” My wife and I said, “They’re not, they want to have sex with each other.” Oh.
Carmen (2021, directed by Valerie Buhagiar)She pretends to be a priest and rescues the women in the village, thereby rescuing herself from her life in the church she never wanted.
Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret. (2023, directed by Kelly Fremon Craig)
Grandmother, mother, granddaughter, a couple true friendships, conflicting religions, secrets, crushes, and sex education on a reel-to-reel. Some things never change.
Footnotes
¹ Elizabeth Day, “Interview with Geena Davis,” The Guardian, September 28, 2015, https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/sep/27/geena-davis-institute-sexism-in-film-industry?CMP=share_btn_tw
² Dr. Martha M. Lauzen, “It’s a Man’s (Celluloid) World: Portrayals of Female Characters in the Top Grossing U.S. Films of 2024,” The Center for the Study of Women in Television and Film, 2025, https://womenintvfilm.sdsu.edu/research/
³ “All the Way Mae in Wichita,” American Baseball Congress, September 19, 2023, https://nbcbaseball.com/all-the-way-mae-in-wichita/
Edited by Olga Tchepikova-Treon