10 Great War Movies With Strong Female Leads

Summary

• War movies with strong female leads showcase the resilience, dedication, and perseverance of women in conflicts.
• Movies like Mrs. Miniver and Carve Her Name With Pride give voice to unsung stories of war.
• Films like A Private War and Quo Vadis, Aida? shed light on personal battles faced amid larger conflicts.

This article discusses issues around conflict, genocide, PTSD, torture, and war.

While most war movies told their story from a male perspective, some great entries in the genre told important stories centered on female characters. The bias toward primarily depicting men in war movies was an extremely limiting way to look at the harrowing effects of conflict and wholly ignored the importance of the female experience in these situations. However, plenty of fantastic war movies have given female leads the spotlight that they deserve in both depictions of true stories and fictional accounts.

War movies starring strong female leads can be found throughout the entire history of cinema, from films made during World War II right up until contemporary times that dealt with currently ongoing conflicts. Over the years, fantastic actresses have given career-best performances as they truly captured the difficult challenges, the inspiring dedication, and the magnificent perseverance women have shown amid conflict and war. While it’s unfortunate that they may not always get as much attention as other conflict-based films, there have been so many great war movies that starred strong female leads.

10 Mrs. Miniver (1942)

Greer Garson as Kay Miniver

The war movies of the 1940s usually presented a very rigidly traditional view of gender roles, but still, the romantic war drama Mrs. Miniver was a powerful look at a brave mother’s experience of the Second World War. Mrs. Miniver showed how an unassuming housewife’s life was impacted by the opening months of World War II and the struggles that Kay Miniver and her family had to endure. While Mrs. Miniver was a fictional story, it incorporated genuine events like the Dunkirk evacuation, airstrikes, and the fear everyday people in Britain felt during the war.

Mrs. Miniver was a movie about domestic fortitude and the endurance that everyday people, particularly women, needed to overcome the horrors of worldwide conflict. While Mrs. Miniver, like so many films of its time, presented women as primarily caregivers, it also showcased the undeniable importance of domestic roles in difficult times. Mrs. Miniver was an effective document about the impact of World War II that was made while it was happening, and the Nazi propaganda leader Joseph Goebbels was even compelled to make a statement about its undeniable impact (via BBC.)

Joseph Goebbels, minister of Nazi propaganda, wrote of
Mrs. Miniver
:

“[Mrs. Miniver]
shows the destiny of a family during the current war, and its refined powerful propagandistic tendency has up to now only been dreamed of. There is not a single angry word spoken against Germany; nevertheless the anti-German tendency is perfectly accomplished
.”

9 Carve Her Name With Pride (1958)

Virginia McKenna as Violette Szabo

Carve Her Name with Pride told the astounding true story of Violette Szabo, a British special operations agent recruited to work as a spy in France during the Second World War. Szabo’s real story ended in tragedy and execution, and her incredible legacy was documented in this powerful 1950s war drama. Virginia McKenna gave a stunning performance as Szabo, and she was surrounded by a strong supporting cast that helped highlight the impact of this awe-inspiring true account.

Carve Her Name with Pride
was about conflict, conviction, and courage and was a fantastic, lesser-known movie about World War II.

The bravery of this agent was made all the more powerful as Carve Her Name with Pride depicted Szabo’s capture by Nazi forces and the interrogation and torture she was forced to endure. Carve Her Name with Pride effectively highlighted an unsung heroine who paid the ultimate price for the greater good. Carve Her Name with Pride was about conflict, conviction, and courage and was a fantastic, lesser-known movie about World War II.

8 Private Benjamin (1980)

Goldie Hawn as Private Judith Benjamin

The fictional comedy Private Benjamin effectively deconstructed prejudiced views surrounding women in the army. With Goldie Hawn as Judith Benjamin, Private Benjamin was about a sheltered, high-society woman who went against the expectations of everybody around her after she signed up to be in the military. While this was an impulsive decision, Benjamin discovered a new way of life, and Private Benjamin explored its relevant themes with humor and charm.

As one of the biggest box office hits of 1980, Private Benjamin even led to a short-lived television series that ran for three seasons and recast Hawn with Lorna Patterson. With a much more light-hearted look at military life, Hawn’s excellent performance helped shine a light on how underrepresented female soldiers were in modern media. More so than anything, Private Benjamin highlighted a woman’s right to join the United States Army and addressed the misconceptions and preconceived beliefs many hold about women in the army.

7 Return (2011)

Linda Cardellini as Kelli

Modern society has placed an extraordinary burden on women to be able to do it all, and this was especially true when it came to balancing the stresses of work with maintaining family life, children, and relationships. These unsurmountable expectations were effectively explored in the war drama Return, which starred Linda Cardellini as Kelli, a woman who struggled to readjust to civilian life after a tour of duty in the Middle East. Cardellini gave a powerful performance that encapsulated the difficulties faced by female veterans.

Return was a subtle examination of the dismantling effects of war on the lives of those who experienced it as audiences watched Kelli gradually come to terms with the fact that her life would never go back to how it was before. Kelli’s heartbreaking struggles were seen as she could no longer give her kids the attention they deserved, uncovered her husband’s infidelity, and got in trouble with the law as she drank to deal with her trauma. Return was a poignant drama written and directed by Liza Johnson.

6 Zero Dark Thirty (2012)

Jessica Chastain as Maya

Zero Dark Thirty explored the international manhunt for Al-Qaeda co-founder Osama bin Laden primarily through the lens of Maya, a CIA intelligence analyst played by Jessica Chastain. Maya was a composite character who was partly modeled after Alfreda Frances Bikwosky, the CIA officer who headed the agency dedicated to tracking down bin Laden. Zero Dark Thirty used the behind-the-scenes details of bin Laden’s death to create a gripping and suspenseful wartime drama led by an extraordinary performance from Chastain.

Zero Dark Thirty explored the price that must be paid to pursue justice, the ruthless and humane decisions that play into a manhunt of this magnitude, and the powerful woman at the heart of it all. While the film has been criticized for its changes to the true Zero Dark Thirty story, one thing that was for sure was Chastain’s incredible commitment to her role. Zero Dark Thirty was a powerful look at the darkest side of war and the undeniable effect that terrorism had on United States government agencies and practices post-9/11.

5 Testament Of Youth (2014)

Alicia Vikander as Vera Brittain

The British war drama Testament of Youth was based on the memoir of Vera Brittain, a nurse during the First World War who recounted her experiences and journey toward pacifism. With Alicia Vikander as Brittain and Kit Harrington playing her love interest, the soldier Roland Leighton, Testament of Youth became darker as its runtime continued and the true horrors of conflict came to the forefront. While some scenes were bloody and grim, there were also many poignant moments about mankind’s ability to persevere through even the most difficult times.

Vikander gave a strong performance as Brittain as Testament of Youth showcased its story of young love paired with the futility of war. Through the story of a war nurse, Testament of Youth provided a seldom-seen perspective on those outside the frontline who only witnessed the consequences of conflict on young soldiers needing medical attention. Testament of Youth was a heartbreaking portrayal of love and loss that would make any viewer question how war could ever be the answer to any question.

4 Whiskey Tango Foxtrot (2016)

Tina Fey as Kim Baker

Despite being based on the true story of journalist Kim Barker’s experiences covering the war in Afghanistan, Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was also a comedy that balanced real-life experiences with the humor of clashing cultures and societal expectations. Tina Fey played Kim Baker, a cable news reporter who faced the challenges of adapting to a different culture. Margot Robbie, Martin Freeman, and Billie Bob Thorton gave solid supporting performances in this enjoyable, albeit sometimes predictable, wartime comedy.

What started as a classic fish-out-of-water story soon developed into a more serious look at the impact of being in an active war zone.

Whiskey Tango Foxtrot was based on the memoir The Taliban Shuffle: Strange Days in Afghanistan and Pakistan and took a satirical look at conflict in the Middle East while promoting a message of female empowerment. What started as a classic fish-out-of-water story soon developed into a more serious look at the impact of being in an active war zone. Fey gave a strong performance and showcased a new side to her acting ability in Whiskey Tango Foxtrot.

3 Megan Leavey (2017)

Kate Mara as Megan Leavey

The biographical war drama Megan Leavey told a powerful true story about conflict and companionship between a soldier and her dog. With Kate Mara in the lead role, Megan Leavey was about a Military Police K9 handler deployed to Iraq who then developed an intense connection with her military dog, Rex. Together, the two experienced conflict firsthand, and after serving their tours of duty, Megan fought for her right to adopt Rex, which acted as a beautiful representation of the bond that can be formed between humans and animals.

Great war movies like Megan Leavey were important depictions of the true consequences of war. With a sensitive handling of its true-life subjects, Megan Leavey was an uplifting drama made even more effective by Mara’s strong performance. With a heartwarming story of finding friendship in the most unlikely places, any animal lover should check out Megan Leavey.

2 A Private War (2018)

Rosamund Pike as Marie Colvin

Although those in the heart of the conflict were surrounded by real war everywhere they went, the private battles individuals have faced regarding their personal lives can often be just as difficult. These personal battles were central to A Private War, the biographical drama based on the life of war correspondent Marie Colvin. As the foreign affairs correspondent for The Sunday Times from 1985 to her death in 2012, Colvin extensively reported on major global conflicts and stood as one of the most inspiring journalists ever lived.

A Private War starred Rosamund Pike, who gave an extraordinary performance as Colvin and demonstrated her unstoppable determination to document conflict in the most dangerous countries in the world. A Private War depicted traumatic experiences such as Colvin losing her eye after being ambushed by the Sri Lankan Army, which led to her wearing her signature eyepatch. A moving tribute to an inspiring and strong woman, A Private War was a fantastic homage to the woman who truly lived her quote: “You’re never going to get to where you’re going if you acknowledge fear” (via NPR.)

1 Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)

Jasna Đuričić as Aida Selmanagić

Quo Vadis, Aida? was written and directed by the Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Žbanić and was a harrowing dramatization based around the Srebrenica massacre. This horrific act of genocide saw more than 8,000 Bosnian men and boys killed during the Bosnian war in 1995 (via ICTY.) The shocking reality of this horrendous historical moment was seen through the eyes of Aida, a schoolteacher and United Nations translator in Quo Vadis, Aida? As Aida struggled to balance helping those who were close to her and carrying out her duties for the UN, this tragic account explored the stifling effect of war.

By using one woman’s heartbreaking experience of the conflict, Quo Vadis, Aida? presented a powerful message that was universal in its effect. With incredible suspense and tension and a truly captivating performance by Jasna Đuričić as Aida Selmanagić, this was a story that will stick with viewers long after the credits have rolled. Quo Vadis, Aida? was nominated for Best International Feature at the Academy Awards and stood as an important account of a lesser-known conflict internationally.

Sources: BBC, NPR, ICTY