This Valentine's Day, Skip the Rom-coms & Watch These Movies About Kickass Women Instead

Whether you were recently catfished on Tinder (ugh), you and your longtime boo just called it quits (tear) or you simply hate Valentine’s Day on principle (hi, all of us when we’re bombarded by the red-and-pink-till-it-hurts chocolate aisle at our local drugstore), the day can be p. emotional for everyone.

Thankfully, since you’re an adult and you can do whatever you want, you’re allowed to opt out of the tradish entirely. Instead of focusing your attention on being part of a couple, snag some chips, discount candy and a bottle of vino and settle in for a night of binge-watching some of the many movies with a badass female lead that Netflix has to offer instead.

From the tale of a former heroin addict who hiked one of the longest (and most brutal) trails in the U.S. to the story of unconditional love between a woman and her transgender partner, Netflix Canada has the perf pick for you in your crusade to ditch Valentine’s Day and all the bad vibes that can come with it. Here are five of our forever faves.

Frances Ha

Greta Gerwig, a.k.a. the genius who gave us Lady Bird, is the star and co-writer of this beautiful black and white film about a millennial chick living in the Big Apple, trying (and frequently failing) to make it work. She doesn’t really know what she’s doing, where she wants to live, who she wants to date or even if she *actually* likes her friends, and the chaos of her life is deeply relatable. Despite all this, she throws herself into everything she does with joy and positivity, eventually realizing that she’s all she has ever needed to be happy. Turn it on if only to admire the stunning cinematography from Sam Levy, who also shot the inimitable Lady Bird!

Wild

This is the stunning story of a heroin addict at the end of her rope after her mom dies and her marriage falls apart. Adapted from Cheryl Strayed’s memoir by the same name, Wild follows Strayed’s journey after she decides to hike the more than 1,000 mile-long Pacific Crest Trail with no hiking experience whatsoever. The result? A totally inspiring physical and emotional journey that makes you feel like you can do anything, tbh. PLUS, the movie features Reese Witherspoon and Laura Dern, so it’s an obvious choice for fans of Big Little Lies!

The Danish Girl

Loosely inspired by the story of Danish painters Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener, this movie—that finally arrived to Netflix Canada this month!—is at once totally heartbreaking and entirely inspiring. The Danish Girl, set in the mid-1920s, follows the story of Lili (a.k.a. Eddie Redmayne), one of the first known people to undergo gender confirmation surgery, and her journey to realizing her true self. Tune in to learn about truly unconditional love and watch as Lili and Gerda (played by Alicia Vikander, who won the Oscar for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role) transform what was once a heteronormative marriage into a true partnership, with Gerda by Lili’s side for every step of their transformation. The period clothing is just a visually arresting bonus.

(Photo: Netflix Canada)

Seeing Allred

Few things are more captivating than a really killer doc, and this one is about our fave topic: women who kick ass. Amidst the ever-prevalent dialogue surrounding the Time’s Up and #MeToo movements, watch tough-as-hell women’s rights attorney/feminist icon Gloria Allred share her wildest stories from her time representing Bill Cosby’s accusers, the women who say they’ve been groped by President Trump and more high-profile plaintiffs. If you’re a crime nerd and a feminist, this is 110 percent the flick for you.

Carol

Period piece? Check. A forbidden love affair? Check, again. Rooney Mara and Cate Blanchett?! Double freakin’ check. There is truly nothing you won’t love about this movie. Adapted from the insanely good novel, The Price of Salt, Carol is about Therese (Mara), a 20-something woman who works at a department store in Manhattan, and Carol (Blanchett), a restless older woman who feels trapped by her roles as someone’s wife and someone else’s mother. Watch the sexist 1950s judgements rain down on the duo as they explore their relationship and then take yourself to a boxing class immeds to release the rage you’ll undoubtedly feel about the injustices faced by same-sex couples throughout history.