Netflix is always one step ahead of the game and in the drive to see more incredible female talent on screen, it’s no different. There are a plethora of shows with inspiring women at the forefront, but if you’re looking for a hero less obvious then they’ve got you covered there too. Whether you want to navigate a difficult world with Carrie Pilby, take on the FBI with Molly Bloom, or battle chess masters with Beth Harmon, we’ve got the lowdown on the kind of thing you can expect from each.
Molly’s Game
Released in 2017, this film tells the true story of Molly Bloom, an ex-Olympian who found a flair for holding high stakes poker games. With celebrities, politicians and other members of the rich and famous attending her games, the FBI quickly got wind. This film follows Molly as she tries to negotiate in an increasingly risky situation. She shows guts and tenacity without ever losing her cool. Although from time to time her actions might be questionable, she’s a character that teaches us that conviction is everything. If Molly Bloom’s escapades have got you wondering where can you play online poker? Sites like Pokernews have everything you need. Both her and Molly are exactly the kind of characters who throw caution to the wind and that’s what makes them so appealing.
The Queens Gambit
The Queens Gambit singlehandedly started a chess revolution last year, with more people than ever keen to learn the game. Whether that’s because a lot of us were spending more time at home than normal, or because the series is so great, we’ll leave it up to you to decide, but we certainly know which side of the fence we sit on. Beth Harmon is the central character in the series, an orphaned girl who discovers a natural flair for chess. She faces immense struggles on her path to becoming chess champion and instead of tackling her way breezily through all of them, she has moments of poor decision making and hardship. Seeing such a multi-faceted character on screen is a great reminder that we don’t have to succeed in every area of our lives to still consider ourselves a success.
Carrie Pilby
Growing up is tough, especially when you’re years ahead of all of your peers. Carrie Pilby tells the story of a young woman who breezed through life academically but struggled with some of the other bits. She graduated from Harvard years before she should’ve done and is generally an exceptionally clever individual, but lacks the key skills that most of us learned over a long period of schooling. After a session with her therapist, Carrie sets out to complete a list of tasks that she initially thinks meaningless but soon discovers to be really rather helpful in negotiating adult life. This film is a brilliant reminder that whilst nerds often get the smaller roles in blockbusters, that their inner lives are just as interesting, or perhaps more so than the rest of us.
