13 Movies On Netflix Every Woman Needs To Watch This Month

This stylish art-world satire provides a playful blend of horror and humor. It also features a star-studded cast that’s at their wacky best, including Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, and Zawe Ashton. At the heart of Velvet Buzzsaw is a sinister curse that plagues the purveyors of a dead man’s paintings, but the film’s portrayal of powerful women (and a script that totally passes the Bechdel Test, as Vice points out) takes it to the next level, making it one of the most refreshing Netflix originals available on the streamer.

Though Lady Bird might pull several elements from writer-director Greta Gerwig’s real-life experience (like its early-aughts setting in Sacramento, California), its story is filled with universal themes many women can understand. Friendship, finding oneself, and navigating the growing pains that come with being a teenager are all explored in this acclaimed film. Saoirse Ronan’s Lady Bird is in her final year of high school, which is defined by moments both hilarious and heartbreaking and a tricky relationship with the mom who’s (sort of) there for it all.

Rosamund Pike brought home a Golden Globe for her performance as I Care a Lot’s Marla, a con artist who steals from elderly people, making this a must-see for fans of Gone Girl and its twisted, edgy villainy. As costume designer Deborah Newhall told Bustle, Marla’s sartorial choices are as significant to the story as her schemes. When Marla picks up her charge to take her to an assisted living facility, for example, she dons a cheery yellow suit and “has the look of flowers arriving at the door on a summer morning,” Newhall explains. “She is there to do a terrible thing but wears her nonthreatening work ‘disguise’ and quickly disarms Jennifer.”

From Dickinson to the upcoming Hawkeye series on Disney+, Hailee Steinfeld is having a moment. Then again, the entire last decade has sort of been her moment, too. Her Golden Globe-nominated turn as Nadine, a teenager struggling with her friends, family, and love life, helped make The Edge of Seventeen one of the most refreshing recent coming-of-age films. As writer-director Kelly Fremon Craig told Bustle in 2016, “[Hailee] is so phenomenal. She is such a talent that there were times when I would sit at the monitor and fall back in my chair with my mouth open because I couldn’t believe how she could execute these moments... You kind of want to get out of the way and just let her do her thing.”

“Boys” may be in the title, but this beloved film (turned trilogy) is one of the best girl movies on Netflix. Lara Jean’s budding romance with Peter Kavinsky is sweet yet secondary to the foundational relationships our daydreaming protagonist has with her family. Playing Lara Jean was a “dream come true” for Lana Condor, who talked to Bustle about her role upon the film’s 2018 release. “Playing Lara Jean is the greatest gift that I could ask for as an actor... as an Asian American actress, for sure," she said.

Love Rocky and Creed, but crave a feminist spin on the sort of sports film where fighters face their demons in and out of the ring? Put Bruised on your list. Halle Berry serves as the star and first-time director of this emotional story about a woman grappling with her athletic career, motherhood, and a traumatic past. As Mic points out, Bruised also boasts an all-woman soundtrack — another reason this is one of the best girl power movies available on Netflix.

Fans of the Mamma Mia movies — and musicals in general, really — might find a new favorite film in Eurovision, which stars Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as a pair of best friends who hope to make their hometown of Húsavík, Iceland, proud in the international song contest. The plucky performers and their fellow competitors sing plenty of songs that are sure to get stuck in your head — but even more lasting are the hilarious film’s themes of home, love, and identity.

A trio of hilarious women — Phoebe Robinson, Gillian Jacobs, and Vanessa Bayer — help make Ibiza a must-see summer movie. Jacobs' character, Harper, embarks on a business trip, but things turn into more of a bachelorette-style weekend when her best friends decide to tag along for the ride. If you're looking for a lighthearted, laugh-out-loud movie, this could be just the right fit.

The star-studded cast of Gunpowder Milkshake, which includes Karen Gillan, Michelle Yeoh, Angela Bassett, and Lena Headey, plays a group of powerful assassins with a tricky past. But nestled among all the thrilling action and stylized fight sequences is a sweet theme of found family. It makes the perfect girls’ night movie when the vibes call for something totally fun and chaotic.

If your perfect movie night is more of a cry-it-out situation, My Girl has to be on your list. The classic ’90s film follows a young, pre-Veep Anna Chlumsky as Vada, a girl who deals with grief and growing up alongside her funeral director dad, best friend Thomas, and a new confidante in the form of an unconventional makeup artist. The best part? You can now find both My Girl movies on Netflix, as they just debuted in August.

Breakups, significant career changes, and moving across the country from the city you know and love? Pretty hard — but made a little easier when you’re surrounded by good friends. In Someone Great, a trio of best friends (played by Gina Rodriguez, DeWanda Wise, and Brittany Snow) help each other through a cathartic, chaotic night in New York. If you’re looking for more friendship-focused movies like Ibiza, this is it.

Rebecca Hall made her directorial debut with Passing, the Netflix original film based on Nella Larsen’s novel of the same name. In crafting the eye-catching adaptation, Hall drew upon her personal experience with race along the way — as she shared with Deadline, her grandfather was a Black man who passed as white, a family secret that Hall’s relatives “weren’t allowed to talk about” growing up.

In the film, Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga play Irene and Clare, a pair of old friends who reconnect in adulthood and contend with their respective paths — which, for Clare, has meant passing as a white woman married to a racist man.

When you’re in a pensive mood, the latest mind-bending psychological drama from Charlie Kaufman is worth a watch. Jessie Buckley and Jesse Plemons are a couple on the brink of breaking up in I’m Thinking of Ending Things when a weekend visit to Jake’s parents makes everything way more confusing — to say the least. The film’s surreal narrative style and abundant dream sequences helped make it a favorite of many critics’ circles.