LOS ANGELES, CA: Screenmancer presents a Top 10 list for women and girls of all ages in a post-Roe v Wade reality now that the landmark Jan. 22, 1973 legislation has fallen. Norma McCarvey, who died in 2017, was that real-life Jane Roe who stood for all her contemporaries on a cold day in January to make sure that unwanted or unasked-for pregnancies could have a personal, private, resolution including the ability to have a safe and legal abortion. Pro-lifers, who oppose both choice and euthanasia, took a viewpoint from cradle to grave in order to thwart women’s ability to help themselves out of unplanned pregnancies. It was the worst of times for political upheaval and social unrest, protests, violence, drama, and families torn apart during this fight. Worst times in America, or so we thought?
By Summer of 2022, those Pro-lifers got their wish as many incredulous members of early feminism watched their benchmark legal ruling overturned.
Now in 2025, Screenmancer looks back on decades of films to remind everyone that Post-Choice doesn’t erase film history anyway. The sprawling watchlist includes not only American films, but some choice films from France and Romania, to illustrate that women worldwide are impacted by this thorny topic.
We hope you’ll enjoy tracking down some of the lesser-seen women’s rights themed films, along with so many that you know and love to revisit. There’s even a Bonus list to keep you going through Fall, if you need to boost your spirits.
Top 10 Summer Watchlist for a Post-Choice Reality
1. Never Rarely Sometimes Always (2020)
Dir. Eliza Hittman
A silent scream about a teenage girl who goes from Pennsylvania to New York for an abortion. Hits you in the gut, heart, and the emotional make-up case all at once. Never mind how politically relevant this is right now.
2. 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days (2007)
Dir. Cristian Mungiu
Palme d’Or winner set in Romania during Communism, educates us about the horrors of illegal abortion. Add strong doses of regime oppression and hopelessness as a starting point.
3. Juno (2007)
Dir. Jason Reitman
Brand new take on teen pregnancy, that blew the doors off conventional wisdom. Of course now that the titular character is no longer Ellen Page, but Elliot Page, this breakthrough movie is even more of a true, enduring classic for so many reasons. This tale is about agency, how to have, use, as a girl or woman at any age.
4. Vera Drake (2004)
Dir. Mike Leigh
Through another side of the lens from London, this Mike Leigh exploration portrays a blue-collar woman in 1950’s London who actually performs illegal abortions. You’re drawn into a world of hypocrisy and contradictions. Powerful and charged, this take makes you reflect on personal costs.
5. Obvious Child (2014)
Dir. Gillian Robespierre
Jenny Slate in a rom-com about abortion, full stop. You know she’s comedic-capable of making anything into layers of mood and meaning. Womanhood gets a style upgrade here, and a sense of humor.
6. Unpregnant (2020)
Dir. Rachel Lee Goldenberg
The less-heard from elusive Gen Z has the floor on this one. It’s part road-trip across state lines; part acting out for a good cause. Plus it is a comedy, so there.
7. Dirty Dancing (1987)
Dir. Emile Ardolino
Bet you didn’t remember this Baby in the Corner movie revolves around an illegal abortion plot, right? Holy hamstring and you were just checking out Patrick Swayze. They’ll never make another Swayze, but we can be Penny in our dreams to visit.
8. If These Walls Could Talk (1996)
Dir. Nancy Savoca, Cher
Bam, bet you forgot the seriously ground-breaking HBO anthology that rows and wades through the history of abortion? It’s a must-see, and star-studded (bad choice of words) with incredible talent for days.
9. Happening (2021)
Dir. Audrey Diwan
An adaptation of an Annie Ernaux memoir, this is a French film that chronicles a whip-smart pupil who gets pregnant by accident in the unsettled era of 60’s France under political siege. Prepare to get your heart broken by this prosaic exploration.
10. Cider House Rules (1999)
Dir. Lasse Hallström
Yes, this is dreary Maine, the movie starts in an orphanage. It’s an Oscar-winning anthem that meanders through every aspect of abortion, ethical choices, moral choices, and storytelling through the eyes of a young Tobey Maguire-played character who get schooled by a doctor played by Michael Caine. Mostly Charlize Theron’s star begins to rise here, and Kathy Baker plays a great nurse.
ALL ABOUT WOMEN BONUS LIST
Just in case you need a chaser, or a primer on how eclectic and wonderful your average girl or woman is? We added a Bonus List to remember that life goes on whether we get the ruling or legislation we want or don’t want. From cult classics to now, as in?
We see you Reese Witherspoon headed for divorce before she told us she was headed for divorce in her powerful portrayal of Cheryl Strayed in WILD. Plus Stella’s groove reset, and Olivia Colman’s complex turn with Dakota Johnson in Lost Daughter, set to be a classic for all women.
(In no particular order – all great must-see movies.)
TOP 10 All About Women Movies
All About Eve (1950) – An aging actress faces off against a vicious ingenue.
Shirley Valentine (1989) – A wily British housewife shucks her boredom in Greece.
Away from Her (2006) – A wife loses herself to Alzheimer’s as her husband looks on.
The Lost Daughter (2021) – Women at various ages face motherhood on an Italian beach vacation.
Under the Tuscan Sun (2003) – A crushed divorcée spends her savings on a broken-down villa in Italy to reset.
Wild (2014) – A grieving woman hikes the Pacific Crest Trail to find her true self after loss and addiction.
The Big Chill (1983) – Boomer friends back up and look back on a few old hopes and dead dreams.
This Is 40 (2012) – Midlife hits a married couple harder than they think it should.
How Stella Got Her Groove Back (1998) – A freeing vacation loosens up a woman’s tight grip on self-control.
Something’s Gotta Give (2003) – Second chances, second acts, and another go around at love as an Elder Babe.
Eat Pray Love (2010) – A woman beside herself gets a divorce, takes a three-part journey to integrate her shattered selves.
Plus one more that will curl your hair as Emma Stone wins an Oscar in? Poor Things… enough said.
Happy Summer Viewing
Screenmancer presents exclusive watchlists on all topics – American football films are next… stay tuned.
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