Sisterhood is an extraordinary bond that exists beyond being family. Through these relationships, women are empowered because of their deep and lasting emotional connection to one another. They are there for each other through times of joy and sorrow. Moreover, their unspoken kinship can defy distance and time.
A deep dive into women’s genre films reveals the entertainment industry caters to a woman’s basic need for that undefinable bond. Hollywood caters to a woman’s need for that emotional connection. Furthermore, these movies emphasize strong bonds and relationships among female characters using support, empowerment, and friendship themes common in sisterhood relationships.
The films below celebrate the power of female friendships and their unique bond, portraying their strength and support for each other. These comedies and dramas spotlight sisterhood’s power.
Top Dramas
1. “Steel Magnolias” The character arch in this 1989 movie is noteworthy. This film boasts several top female performers: Sally Field, Julia Roberts, Shirley MacLaine, Dolly Parton, Olympia Dukakis, and Daryl Hannah.
The multi-generational cast shows the depth and power of the sisterhood bond. Rated PG.
2. “Fried Green Tomatoes” There are two interlinked stories of friendship in this 1991 movie. A retirement home resident (Jessica Tandy) and a middle-aged woman (Kathy Bates) develop an unlikely but genuine bond.
Together they relive a decades-old sisterhood between Mary Stuart Masterson and Mary-Louise Parker at the Whistle Stop Cafe somewhere in the Southern United States. Rated PG-13.
3. “Waiting to Exhale” is adapted from a book of the same name. This 1995 film follows four passionate Black women — Whitney Houston, Lela Rochon, Loretta Devine, and Angela Bassett — navigating careers, family, and sometimes sordid romantic relationships. These women bond over their love lives’ shortcomings, specifically the scarcity of reliable men. Rated R.
4. “The Secret Life of Bees” has tugged at the audience’s heartstrings since 2008. The movie is about an abused girl (Dakota Fanning) who finds more than the mother she desperately seeks.
When she meets the Boatwright sisters, played by Queen Latifah, Alica Keys, and Sophie Okonedo, she is confronted with many new ideas and practices that slowly change the young girl’s heart as she melds into this unique sisterhood. Rated PG-13.
Other Notable Sisterhood Films
5. “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood,” starring Sandra Bullock, is a Drama/Comedy that deals with a chaotic but dedicated cadre of a lifelong friendship and a secret that binds the women played by Ellen Burstyn, Maggie Smith, Fionnula Flanagan, Cherry Jones, Shirley Knight, and Maggie Smith.
As the 2002 movie unfolds, three generations of women handle the outcome once the secret, mental illness, is revealed. Rated PG-13.
6 & 7. “Book Club” (2018) and “Book Club: The Next Chapter (2023). These films star Jane Fonda, Diane Keaton, Mary Steenburgen, and Candice Bergen as longtime friends whose book club leads them to upend their lives. Their comedic adventures challenge and strengthen their sisterhood. Both movies are rated PG-13.
There are hundreds of sisterhood-type movies and television programs to choose from.
Written by Cathy Milne-Ware
Sources:
You Beauty: Need a Feminist Boost? These Movies Inspire Sisterhood
Exploring Your Mind: Sisterhood: The Value of Women Coming Together; By Valeria Sabater
Agnès Films: Finding Your Real and Metaphorical Sisters: Our Favorite Films and TV Shows That Celebrate the Sisterly Bond; By Mimi Anagli, Kara Headley, Alexandra Hidalgo, and Allison Simpson
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Unsplash+
First Inset Image by Filipp Romanovski Courtesy of Unsplash
Second Inset Image by Antonino Visalli Courtesy of Unsplash
