Best Oscar-Nominated Movies With Powerful Female Leads

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It’s our favorite time of year: awards season. Whenever the Oscars come around, we’re reminded of what an incredible year it was for filmmaking, especially when it came to films that put women at the center. These stories not only held our attention and fascinated us, they also showed audiences that stories about women and their experiences are not monolithic, and deserve to be seen and told. Now that the Oscars are just days away, we’re taking a look back on this year’s nominated films that put women at the forefront — how they captivated us and challenged our preconceived notions of what it means to bear witness to and tell women’s stories.

If we’re going to highlight one film here, it has to be Everything Everywhere All At Once. This is the year of Michelle Yeoh, and the unassailable actress is at the peak of her powers here. Yeoh plays Evelyn Wang, a wife, mother, and laundromat owner whose day filing taxes after being audited by the IRS turns into an inter-dimensional battle against danger. Yeoh’s Oscar-nominated performance, along with dynamic work from Jamie Lee Curtis and Stephanie Hsu, is breathtaking. What we see in this wild ride of a movie is an idiosyncratic representation of one woman’s story that speaks to universal truths experienced by audiences across the globe. If that doesn’t speak to the power of cinema, we don’t know what does.

Beyond Everything Everywhere All At Once, there are more captivating films that struck a chord with audiences this year centering women. Catch up on your must-see list and find out where to stream these Oscar-nominated movies before the awards show on March 12!

‘TÁR’

Image Credit: © Focus Features /Courtesy Everett Collection.

Starring Cate Blanchett in her Oscar-nominated role, TÁR is the story of a fiery fall from grace. Lydia Tár is a celebrated composer and conductor preparing for her greatest career milestone yet. But when a former protégé commits suicide, questions concerning Lydia’s conduct and her past reach a shocking crescendo, ultimately leading to her downfall. Directed by Todd Field, TÁR is nominated for six Academy Awards.

Stream on Prime Video.
‘Everything Everywhere All At Once’

Image Credit: Allyson Riggs /© A24 / Courtesy Everett Collection.

An average, if unpleasant, day of filing taxes and going through receipts turns into a fight to save multiple realities in Everything Everywhere All At Once. Michelle Yeoh stars as Evelyn Wang, a Chinese immigrant, wife, mother, and laundromat owner who is tasked with saving the multiverse. Yeoh is an absolute marvel (not to mention total badass) in this film. With equally staggering performances from Stephanie Hsu as her daughter and Jamie Lee Curtis as the IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre, Everything Everywhere All At Once highlights the many lived experiences of one woman — what could have been, what is, and what’s most important.

Stream on Prime Video.
‘Women Talking’

Image Credit: Michael Gibson /© Orion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection.

Inspired by true events and based on the novel of the same name, Women Talking is a powerful ensemble drama. The film, directed and adapted by Oscar nominee Sarah Polley, tells the harrowing tale of a group of women in an isolated religious community who must decide whether they will leave, forgive, or fight the men who’ve abused and assaulted them. Women Talking is a nominee for Best Picture and earned Sarah Polley her second Oscar nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Stream on Prime Video.
‘Black Panther: Wakanda Forever’

Image Credit: Annette Brown /© Marvel / © Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures /Courtesy Everett Collection.

Following the death of King T’Challa (the late Chadwick Boseman), the nation of Wakanda struggles to find its place in the world and a way forward from unimaginable tragedy. As much as this is a story about a nation rebuilding and warding off those who would threaten them, it’s also about the women at its center who fight for its preservation and future each day. Featuring a powerhouse and Oscar-nominated performance from Angela Bassett, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever is a testament to the resilience women show each and every day.

Stream on Disney+.
‘Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris’

Image Credit: © Focus Features / Courtesy Everett Collection.

We know these past few entries have been pretty heavy. So now it’s time for something lighter. In 1950s London, a widowed cleaning lady falls head over heels for a stunning couture Dior dress. What ensues is a trip to Paris and her search for the perfect dress, along with some sobering and heartfelt lessons on love, life, and the beauty of spontaneity. Starring Lesley Manville (a past Oscar nominee for Phantom Thread), Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris earned an Oscar nomination this year for Best Costume Design — how fitting!

Stream on Prime Video.
‘All the Beauty and the Bloodshed’

Image Credit: © Neon / courtesy Everett Collection.

Turning to one of the films nominated for Best Documentary Feature, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed follows the life of artist and photographer Nan Goldin and how she carved out a place for herself in the male-dominated art world. The film also tackles the Sackler family and their culpability in the opioid epidemic. All the Beauty and the Bloodshed chronicles Goldin’s artistic voice and her fight against the institutions dominated by the Sacklers. It’s an incendiary portrait of the intersection of art, politics, and protest.

Stream on HBO Max.
‘To Leslie’

Image Credit: © Momentum Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection.

A surprise Oscar nomination for Andrea Riseborough in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role category landed To Leslie at the 2023 Oscars. The film, inspired by a true story, follows a Texas single mother who wins the lottery, only to squander all the money. All that’s left are the broken relationships and trust Leslie left in her wake. But she tries to rebuild her life as much as she can, seeking absolution and redemption from those whom she disappointed.

Stream on Prime Video.
‘Blonde’

Image Credit: © Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection.

Based on the novel of the same name, Blonde takes a rather macabre approach to the origins of Marilyn Monroe. Ana de Armas earned her first Oscar nomination for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for her portrayal of Norma Jean Baker, who would later become the tragic Hollywood star. Blonde’s dark interpretation of Monroe’s relationship with men, Hollywood, and her star persona reads like one of abject misery. There’s even been a call for a female filmmaker to helm a biopic of the late Classic Hollywood star. Blonde is ultimately a difficult, often times painful watch, but de Armas imbues her performance with as much introspection and thoughtfulness as possible.

Stream on Netflix.