10 Best Movies Without Male Characters, Ranked by IMDb Score
Although it may not appear so, films featuring all-female casts are becoming increasingly popular in contemporary culture. By “all-female cast,” I mean films in which the primary characters are primarily women, with a few guys thrown in for good measure. Movies featuring an all-female cast were very unusual just a few years ago.
They’re now one of the most popular genres! Grab your girlfriends, browse this list, and then enjoy a girl’s night in to watch some of these oldies! Please remember that this is not an exhaustive list; instead, it is only a starting point.
10. ‘After Blue’ (2021)
IMDb Score: 5.5
In a future world where only women can survive, “After Blue” tells the story of Roxy, a teenager who releases a buried criminal from the sand. However, her actions have unintended consequences as she becomes a harbinger of fear and destruction, impacting the entire planet.
9. ‘The Duke of Burgundy’ (2014)
IMDb Score: 6.5
‘The Duke of Burgundy’ is an S&M love story — and if you only watch one this month, make it this one since it’s smarter and funnier. The location is a rural region in an undisclosed European nation, presumably in the 1970s, when a lady named Evelyn (Chiara D’Anna) reports cleaning the majestic, dominating Cynthia’s enormous, ivy-decked home (Sidse Babett Knudsen).
Evelyn is chastised for arriving late, but she quietly continues dusting – only to be told that her work isn’t finished and that Madame needs a foot massage. We have the impression that we see a cliched dream scenario right out of 1970s cut-price Euro-erotica.
8. ‘Suspiria’ (2018)
IMDb Score: 6.7
Susie Bannion, a young American dancer, travels in 1970s Berlin to audition for the world-renowned Helena Markos Dance Co. When she ascends to the position of lead dancer, the lady replaces sobs and accuses the company’s female directors of witchcraft.
Meanwhile, a curious psychiatrist and a troupe member unearth dark and frightening secrets while exploring the studio’s hidden underground rooms.
8. ‘Olivia’ (1951)
IMDb Score: 7.0
‘Olivia’ is set in late-nineteenth-century France and follows two competing headmistresses, Miss Julie (Edwige Feuillère) and Miss Cara (Simone Simon, widely known to American audiences for Jacques Tourneur’s Cat People).
There are factions and battlelines between the two headmistresses and the female students they prefer in this picturesque (shot by cinematography great Christian Matras) matriarchal world where men are rarely present. Enter Olivia (Marie-Claire Olivia), a new student whose youth and wide-eyed optimism have her fit right in, yet something sets her apart.
Olivia’s name, which is not English but French, and hints at a strange otherness.
6. ‘Mädchen in Uniform’ (1958)
IMDb Score: 7.0
‘Mädchen in Uniform’ is a 1958 film that revolves around a young girl named Manuela von Meinhardis. She is sent to an all-girls boarding school run by strict discipline and rules. As Manuela struggles to adapt to her new environment, she forms a deep emotional bond with her compassionate teacher, Fräulein von Bernburg.
5. ‘Suicide Kale’ (1995)
IMDb Score: 7.2
What would you do if you and your new girlfriend went to a casual, drunken lunch with your married pals and discovered what seemed to be a suicide note? Your five-year-old pals are clearly dealing with household difficulties while putting on a cheerful front in their Pinterest-inspired home in the lush, sunny suburbs.
Do you go up against your friends? Or do you spend the day over vegan skewers, Panang curry, and kale salad, attempting to figure out who wrote the message and why?
After meeting at a Kanye West and Drake concert, Jasmine (Brittani Nichols) and Penn (Lindsay Hicks) had been dating for a month. Billie (Jasika Nicole) and Jordan are their lunch hosts (Brianna Baker). Jazz and Penn sneak into the bedroom while their hosts are downstairs bickering in low tones, where they uncover a note that reads as both a break-up and a suicide note.
4. ‘House’ (1977)
IMDb Score: 7.3
“House” is a Japanese horror film released in 1977. The movie revolves around a group of schoolgirls who visit one of their friends’ haunted house during summer vacation. As they explore the house, they encounter supernatural phenomena and are gradually attacked and killed off by the house itself.
The film combines elements of horror, comedy, and surrealism, featuring bizarre and absurd scenes. “House” has gained a cult following over the years for its unique and unconventional approach to horror storytelling.
3. ‘The Bitter Tears of Petra von Kant’ (1972)
IMDb Score: 7.6
Petra von Kant is a well-known fashion designer who is arrogant, sarcastic, and self-satisfied. She divorced the husband she no longer loved some time ago. She had a relatively happy S and M relationship with Marlene (her secretary, maid, and co-designer).
She is cruel to her. Karin, a 23-year-old beauty who aspires to be a model, enters the picture. She falls madly in love with Karin and invites her to live with her. The remainder of the film delves into the emotions around this affair and its consequences.
Fassbinder presents his tale in a sequence of 5 or 6 lengthy scenes that employ a single camera shot and deep focus for extended periods.
2. ‘The Women’ (1939)
IMDb Score: 7.7
Wealthy Mary Haines is unaware that her husband is having an affair with Crystal Allen, a shopgirl. Sylvia Fowler and Edith Potter learn about it from a manicurist and set up a meeting for Mary to hear the rumor. On the train to Reno for her divorce, Mary encounters the Countess and Miriam (having an affair with Fowler’s husband).
During their stay at Lucy’s dude ranch, Fowler comes for her own divorce, and the Countess meets her sixth husband-to-be, Buck. In New York, Mary’s ex-husband is now unhappily married to Crystal, who is already having an affair with Buck.
When Sylvia spills the beans at an elite nightclub, Crystal brags about her intentions for an even wealthier marriage, only to discover that the Countess is the source of all Buck’s money. Crystal has to return to the perfume counter, and Mary has to return to her husband.
1. ‘Portrait of a Lady on Fire’ (2019)
IMDb Score: 8.1
The year is 1760 in France. Marianne is hired to paint the wedding portrait of Hélose, a young woman who has recently left the convent. Marianne arrives under the pretext of company, watching Hélose by day and covertly painting her by firelight at night because she is a hesitant bride-to-be.
As the two ladies circle one other, their connection and attraction increase as they experience Hélose’s first moments of freedom. Hélose’s image quickly becomes a joint endeavor and a tribute to their love.
