This is a guest post by Marcela De Vivo.
While there’s certainly nothing wrong with that, finding movies that present travel and adventure from a woman’s point of view, while addressing the inward issues that a woman might typically face, is far more difficult to come by.
The following films do quite an admirable job of capturing the inner workings of a woman’s heart by providing stories and situations that most can identify and relate to.
More than just romantic comedies or “chick flicks,” these movies are all excellent windows into the soul and thought of the modern heroine.
Julia Roberts in Eat, Pray, Love |
Her journey is marked by a pursuit of good food, spiritual fulfillment, and relational fulfillment, embodying three of the most relatable aspects of life.
Scarlett Johansson in Lost in Translation |
Upon meeting Bob Harris (played by Bill Murray), she forms a friendship with him (who is also depicted as having a loveless and tumultuous marriage) and the two share a series of adventures together in Tokyo before tearfully departing at the end of the movie. The film depicts the value of friendship and companionship between two people who at first were complete strangers and then bonded simply by exploring a city together.
Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday |
The two eventually determine that a relationship is impossible and end up parting ways.
This movie focuses heavily on a woman’s desire for simple freedom and how social restrictions and responsibilities can challenge those desires and make them difficult to realize.
Diane Lane in Under the Tuscan Sun |
The film connects with the need to go outside one’s comfort zone and how sometimes we need a restart in life. Mayes just happened to find that restart button in Tuscany.
What all these movies have in common is that they take women who are having personal, relatable conflicts and show that a good adventure and a strange city can revive one’s outlook on life.
While it might not be difficult to find a good female action movie, or even a solidly entertaining “girl time flick,” these movies are unique in their pensive and thoughtful approach to the difficulties women face in life. They show that a little adventure and new surroundings can create a whole new perspective.
They’re certainly worth the watch.