18 female-focused films everyone will be talking about this summer
The summer of 2017 is decidedly and refreshingly she-focused
1. “Wonder Woman”
Starring: Gal Gadot
In theaters: June 2
Details: This Amazon princess gets big screen time, as she tries saving the world from weapons of mass destruction.
“How can a woman fight in this?” — Wonder Woman, as she’s wearing a dress
2. “The Mummy”
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Tom Cruise
In theaters: June 9
Details: Tom Cruise fights an ancient princess, who comes back to the modern era with a vengeance.
Why it’s worth watching: For the first time in its franchise, the mummy is a woman.
3. “Atomic Blonde”
Starring: Charlize Theron
In theaters: July 28
Details: A female spy-killer is sent on a mission to discover why a fellow undercover agent was murdered.
“Let’s cut the crap, shall we?” — Lorraine Broughton, played by Charlize Theron
4. “Megan Leavey”
Starring: Kate Mara
In theaters: June 9
Details: A former Marine handler and her bomb-sniffing dog form a strong and unbreakable bond.
Why it’s worth watching: The same woman behind the orca documentary, “Blackfish,” directs this true story.
5. “The Bad Batch”
Starring: Suki Waterhouse
In theaters: June 23
Details: Director Ana Lily Amirpour creates a dystopian desert world, where a young woman has to fight for her life in a cannibalistic society.
“I want to be the solution for something.” — Arlen, played by Suki Waterhouse
6. “The Beguiled”
Starring: Elle Fanning, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst, Colin Farrell
In theaters: June 30
Details: Sofia Coppola lends her eccentric touch to this Civil War thriller about a sheltered girls’ boarding school.
“You are a most unwelcome visitor, and we do not propose to entertain you.” — Martha Farnsworth, played by Nicole Kidman
7. “A Ghost Story”
Starring: Rooney Mara, Casey Affleck
In theaters: July 14
Details: Affleck plays a white-sheeted ghost who visits his wife, a recent widow, and watches life change without him.
Why it’s worth watching: A scene with Rooney Mara and pie has all the critics talking.
8. “Detroit”
Starring: John Boyega, Algee Smith, Will Poulter
In theaters: August 4
Details: This fact-based drama is about the infamous 1967 riot in Detroit, where police clashed violently the black community.
Why it’s worth watching: Kathryn Bigelow, the same director of “The Hurt Locker” and “Zero Dark Thirty,” took on this film.
9. “Beatriz at Dinner”
Starring: Salma Hayek, John Lithgow, Chloë Sevigny, Connie Britton
In theaters: June 9
Details: Beatriz is a Mexican immigrant who clashes with a cocky, white billionaire over dinner.
“You think killing is hard? Try healing.” — Beatriz, played by Salma Hayek
10. “Snatched”
Starring: Amy Schumer, Goldie Hawn
In theaters: May 12
Details: After a bad breakup, a woman takes her cautious mother on a South American vacation. Then they both get kidnapped.
“You messed with the wrong b****es.” — Emily Middleton, played by Amy Schumer
11. “Rough Night”
Starring: Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon, Jillian Bell, Zoë Kravitz, Ilana Glazer
In theaters: June 16
Details: Five friends accidentally kill a male stripper during a bachelorette party, leading to a wild night.
Why it’s worth watching: This is the feature debut of director Lucia Aniello of “Broad City.”
12. “The House”
Starring: Will Ferrell, Amy Poehler
In theaters: June 30
Details: Ferrell and Poehler play cash-strapped parents of a college-bound daughter. To make money, they transform their house into a sleazy casino.
“We gotta lie. That’s what parents do, ’cause otherwise the kids are going to realize that we don’t know what we’re doing!” — Scott, played by Will Ferrell
13. “Girls Trip”
Starring: Queen Latifah, Jada Pinkett Smith, Kate Walsh
In theaters: July 21
Details: Four good friends take a “Hangover”-like road trip to New Orleans’ Essence Festival.
“If you are going to come with us, please refrain from saying things like ‘preach’ or ‘go girl,’ or any other colloquialisms that you may have looked up on Urban Dictionary.” — Ryan, played by Regina Hall
14. “Alien: Covenant”
Starring: Michael Fassbender, Katherine Waterston
In theaters: May 19
Details: A colony settles on a paradise world, but soon discovers that it’s more dark and dangerous than they thought.
“It’s the first-ever, large-scale colonization mission to come this far into our galaxy. We’re making history.” — Daniels, played by Katherine Waterston
15. “The Book of Henry”
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jaeden Lieberher, Jacob Tremblay
In theaters: June 16
Details: An 11-year-old genius boy takes care of his single mother and younger brother. Their family takes a dark turn when Henry devises a violent solution to a theory that a neighbor girl is being abused by her stepfather.
“I know what you’ve done, and we’ve documented all of it.” — Susan Carpenter, played by Naomi Watts
16. “Annabelle: Creation”
Starring: Talitha Bateman, Miranda Otto, Anthony LaPaglia
In theaters: August 11
Details: This is the origin story of the demonic doll that first appeared in Wan’s deliciously unsettling “The Conjuring.”
Why it’s worth watching: Nothing’s scarier than a horror film with dolls.
17. “Okja”
Genre: Drama
Starring: Tilda Swinton, Jake Gyllenhaal, Paul Dano
On Netflix: June 28
Details: Swinton plays the CEO of an organic food and research corporation that captures the titular Okja, a massive, wild piglike creature that is the companion of a little girl.
“I took nature and science, and I synthesized.” — Lucy Mirando, played by Tilda Swinton
18. “Naked”
Genre: Comedy
Starring: Marlon Wayans, Regina Hall
On Netflix: August 11
Details: Wayans plays a soon-to-be-married screw-up who is forced to relive his wedding day — which starts with him waking up naked in an elevator — over and over, until he makes things right with his bride.
Why it’s worth watching: It’s the modern version of “Groundhog Day.”
Original story by The Washington Post’s Michael O’Sullivan.
