The 15 Best-Written Female Characters In Cinema

Yu Shu Lien – Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)

In a film filled with capable, well-written women, actress Michelle Yeoh plays Yu Shu Lien – a female warrior in 1779, under the Qing Dynasty. Shu Lien is asked by her friend Mu Bai (Chow Yun Fat) to deliver his sword – the Green Destiny – to his friend in Beijing. In doing so, Shu Lien meets a young aristocrat named Jen (Ziyi Zhang), and finds that Mu Bai’s special sword has been stolen by Jade Fox (Pei-Pei Cheng) – who had killed Mu Bai’s mentor years earlier.

What follows is an exploration of relationships against the backdrop of an action-packed quest to retrieve the Green Destiny sword. Throughout this quest, Shu Lien is on the frontline – motivated by her deep, undeclared affection for Mu Bai. She must deal with Jen, also, who is consumed with envy at what she perceives to be Shu Lien’s exciting life, and her dissatisfaction with her own. The two women engage in spectacular battle, during which Shu Lien is injured. In the conclusion of their quest for the sword, Mu Bai is poisoned, and dies in the arms of his loved one – Shu Lien.

Yu Shu Lien is a well-written female character in that she is entirely self-possessed. She is an accomplished warrior who, though romantically drawn to her friend, does not prioritize the acting upon it. Instead, she is committed to her position – and the result of such devotion is evident in the skill she demonstrates. She is fearless, but compassionate, and is ready to sacrifice whatever is necessary to achieve the stated goal. Crucially, this character does not occupy the centre of the story, but rather glides around its core – ever vigilant – as the other characters pursue more selfish agendas.

Mad – The Keeping Room (2015)

Written by Julia Hart, The Keeping Room is a female-centric tale of life at the end of the Civil War, and it is anchored by the character of Mad, played by Muna Otaru. Mad is the former slave of a farming family, whose menfolk have all gone to fight on the frontline. The resulting situation is a desperate struggle for survival and sees the remaining women (Mad, and sisters Augusta and Louise) restructure their social hierarchy to create a new family of sorts – in which everybody plays an equally valuable part.

In terms of the dynamics of this freshly formed family unit, the women fall into a seemingly natural division of roles – Augusta (Brit Marling) is the warrior, Louise (Hailee Steinfeld) is the innocent and Mad is the nurturer. While the entire project is well-written, it is the role of Mad that shines through, as she leads by example in endurance, courage and above all, forgiveness.

The story of her character is gradually revealed during the events that envelop this family, as they find themselves besieged by two violent, rogue soldiers. Mad slowly lays bare her pains, her grief, and her dreams – and provides the two sisters with guidance in a testing situation. Though technically a supporting character, she is at once their vital moral compass and their only source of hope.