Five Feminist Films And Series On Netflix To Watch During StreamFest

During this pandemic, when most of us were confined to the four walls of our house, the entertainment-rich OTT platforms made it easier for us to sail through these tough times. Netflix and chill was the sing-song tagline for many of us, but few were not able to enjoy Netflix's unlimited content due to its higher rates as compared to other OTT platforms. Thus, for those very people the over-the-top content platform is organising a two-day free StreamFest on December 5 and 6. Yes, you can watch Netflix for free for these two days, but then what do you watch, now that is a difficult question.

Also Read: Bored of Bollywood? Five Bengali Feminist Films To Watch

There is a plethora of content available on Netflix across different genres and one might do a quick selection of the best ones for the two days fest. For those who are looking to watch feminist movies, here are the five feminist films that you can watch during StreamFest-

Unbelievable

This Netflix Originals 2019 series is an impactful, radical, exceptional drama series. The series stars Toni Collette, Merritt Wever, and Kaitlyn Dever alongside Dale Dickey, Liza Lapira, Kai Lennox, and others. Unbelievable captures the story of a young woman who is accused of lying about rape, following which two female detectives investigate a spate of eerily similar attacks. The series, inspired by true events, is a must-watch for those who are inclined to watch detective fiction and do not shy away from addressing the harrowing ordeal that follows sexual crimes for survivors.

Also Read: Selena: The Series Drops Today, 5 Things To Know About This Netflix Bio-Musical

Period. End of Sentence.

Period. End of Sentence. is a short documentary set in rural India, where the stigma of menstruation persists even today. This documentary tells us the story of a group of women, struggling with the taboos attached to menstruation in society, who take on the tasks of manufacturing low-cost sanitary pads on a new machine and how it helps them strive for financial independence along with tackling period poverty. The documentary unfolds to be a subtle and impactful narration of true events.

The 28-minute long short film, directed by Rayka Zehtabchi, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2019. You can read more about it here.

Becoming

Released in 2020, this one-and-a-half-hour-long documentary captures the life of former first lady of the United States, Michelle Obama. The headstrong first lady's life is weaved into this intimate documentary quite seamlessly. Directed by Nadia Hallgren the movie will take you on an interesting journey with Obama as she embarks on her book tour.

Being a much love figure world-wide, even after her husband President Barack Obama's tenure came to an end in 2016, the documentary not only captures Michelle Obama's life but the sheer undiluted affection awe that she inspires in people.

Queen

Director Vikas Bahl's Queen focuses on the transformation of its protagonist Rani ( played by Kangana Ranaut) from a shy girl whose life's dream is to get married to the man she loves and then to go on a European honeymoon with him, into a confident, independent person after she is ditched at the alter days before her wedding. The film is a radical departure from mainstream Bollywood films in its rejection of the conventional happy ending - the reunion of the hero and heroine after some obstacles or misunderstandings or family restrictions. Queen ends with the heroine deciding to remain single, and with that, it celebrates her single status, instead of seeing it as an aberration or a tragedy.

Also Read: Feminist Films in India: Let’s normalise consent in our films across languages

Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare

Directed by Alankrita Shrivastava Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitare is a film that captures the struggles of two women accessing domains and spaces which are largely dominated and held by men. A story of female liberation and desires, this Konkona Sen Sharma and Bhumi Pednekar starrer revolves around two women trying to negotiate for their own liberated spaces in the patriarchal world. This is a film that one should surely watch for its strong and unabashed portrayal of women.

Sanskriti Tiwari is an intern with SheThePeople.TV. The views expressed are the author's own.