Inspirational Female Characters in Movies

I wanted to make this a series for the month of June because it’s my birthday month (you’re free to guess the exact date in the comments 😛 ) and I feel oddly reflective at this time of the year. Basically, I like to take stock of everything that’s happened so far in my life and where I’m headed next. It is of particular significance this year because I’ve graduated and am about to enter the corporate world. I was thinking back on everything that has shaped me into the person I am now and that’s how I came up with the idea for this post. Of all the various movies I’ve seen so far (it’s still a modest number right now), these are the three female characters I’ve identified with or have been inspired by the most.

Warning: this post may contain spoilers (and fabulous GIFs) for Wonder Woman, Pirates of the Caribbean and Interstellar.

1. Wonder Woman

This is a recent favourite and I had a blast watching this movie. As a whole, it’s a good but not great movie, and it’s a typical superhero (-ine?) origin story. However, the character of Diana was so refreshing. She’s strong, capable and fearless but at the same time naïve with a sense of child-like wonder. Her character had the most complexity in the movie (obviously) and the character development was brilliant as well. I wish I could have the sense of determination and purpose that she had. Or even an ounce of the courage and confidence she displayed when she went charging into no man’s land. Also, all the respect to Gal Gadot, who did the movie even as she was pregnant. I came away from the theatres with the fierce spirit that I could do just about anything and that feeling hasn’t gone away yet. I still obsessively listen to the soundtrack and re-imagine some of the cooler scenes. I realised that I wasn’t thinking so much about the movie as much as the character. Apparently (and this I came to know while I was writing this), I’m not the only one on this boat. Check out this tweet by the director of the movie, Patty Jenkins:

2. Elizabeth Swann

 

I watched the first movie in the Pirates of the Caribbean series when I was almost a teenager, I believe, and it left a big impression on me. Some credit must be given to the eccentric character of Jack Sparrow, who was my immediate favourite, but as the trilogy progressed (let’s set aside the awful cliché of her appearance in the fifth movie for now), I began to appreciate Elizabeth’s character much more. She’s resourceful, caring and bold, with a sharp tongue and sharper wits to go with it. Right from the starting when Port Royal is under siege and she manages to evade capture from the pirates for as long as she could, it was established that she wasn’t the typical love interest. Thinking back to all of the plot advancements that happened because of something she did throughout the trilogy, I came to appreciate just how big a role she played in the story. To be perfectly honest, I missed her spunk in the other two movies and no other female character has come close to Elizabeth, who went from a governor’s daughter to pirate queen and earned my undying respect along the way.

3. Murphy Cooper

 

I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned Interstellar is one of my favourite movies of all time and the father-daughter relationship in that makes me promptly tear up every time I watch it. I really liked how she was taught to examine facts and draw conclusions based on that when she complains to her dad about the ghost in her room. Her love for science and thirst for knowledge is something that I have in common with her. I couldn’t have been happier when she throws her papers in the air and exclaims “Eureka!”, which just goes on to show that there are so many different ways one can save the entire human race. The movie rekindled my dream of going into research and winning a Nobel prize (which seems unattainable now, but nobody told the ten-year-old me that) and I had to practically drag myself out of the theatre because I never wanted it to end. Murph is like an ideal and more focused version of myself. I hope that suffices for an explanation as to why I find her so inspirational because I’m running out of words to express that feeling.

---

I think I’ve rambled on quite enough for today. Do you find yourself being inspired by characters in movies as much as me? Who are these characters? Let me know all about it in the comments section below.