stories (tv/movies/memoirs/bios) about women starting over
December 28, 2023 12:26 AM Subscribe
inspired by Dot's journey on this season of Fargo, looking for stories about women escaping their pasts and starting new lives
prefer
*main character to be in her mid 30s-early 40s
*single or leaving a partner
*escaping trauma or DV is totally fine but also not required
*if not a literal escape, could be a journey of travel, self-discovery, artistic or political pursuit, other form of enlightenment, but nothing spiritual/religious (cults etc)
*not as into novels (unless there's one that fits perfectly) love film, tv series, memoirs, and biographies the most
prefer
*main character to be in her mid 30s-early 40s
*single or leaving a partner
*escaping trauma or DV is totally fine but also not required
*if not a literal escape, could be a journey of travel, self-discovery, artistic or political pursuit, other form of enlightenment, but nothing spiritual/religious (cults etc)
*not as into novels (unless there's one that fits perfectly) love film, tv series, memoirs, and biographies the most
This is a novel, but Anne Tyler's Ladder of Years is about a woman aged about 40 walking out on her family. No domestic abuse or trauma. Link is to a review which contains spoilers. Here it is on Goodreads.
posted by paduasoy at 3:13 AM on December 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
posted by paduasoy at 3:13 AM on December 28, 2023 [5 favorites]
Australian TV is can good at this.
Sea Change - maybe some of the late 90s early 2000s humour hasn't aged well. Sigrid Thornton is a judge who's husband is in prison, she's starting life over as a judge in a small beach side town.
Maybe Something in the Air? I think the main character is returning to her home town to run a radio station but I could be misremembering.
Fisk - this really tickles my sense of humour. Sydney to Melbourne.
posted by freethefeet at 3:40 AM on December 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Sea Change - maybe some of the late 90s early 2000s humour hasn't aged well. Sigrid Thornton is a judge who's husband is in prison, she's starting life over as a judge in a small beach side town.
Maybe Something in the Air? I think the main character is returning to her home town to run a radio station but I could be misremembering.
Fisk - this really tickles my sense of humour. Sydney to Melbourne.
posted by freethefeet at 3:40 AM on December 28, 2023 [3 favorites]
Gone Girl is a dark version of this.
Under the Tuscan Sun
Poor Things, in theaters now, qualifies!
posted by ejs at 3:46 AM on December 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
Under the Tuscan Sun
Poor Things, in theaters now, qualifies!
posted by ejs at 3:46 AM on December 28, 2023 [4 favorites]
The 2019 movie Spinster is a low-key version of this and worth a look.
posted by edencosmic at 4:12 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by edencosmic at 4:12 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Yes you should get yourself out to see Poor Things, pronto.
posted by phunniemee at 5:39 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by phunniemee at 5:39 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
The movie Sam Now is an interesting spin on this.
posted by shadygrove at 6:04 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by shadygrove at 6:04 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
real-life mary wollstonecraft was a churning bubbling cycle of renewal, escape, and reinvention for her entire life.
posted by j_curiouser at 7:55 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by j_curiouser at 7:55 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Some older stuff -Bagdad Cafe; An Unmarried Woman.
Also I think Hester Street probably qualifies?
Seconding the Australian comedy series Fisk. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. There are 2 seasons, 12 episodes total.
posted by gudrun at 7:56 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Also I think Hester Street probably qualifies?
Seconding the Australian comedy series Fisk. It took me a couple of episodes to get into it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. There are 2 seasons, 12 episodes total.
posted by gudrun at 7:56 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
(Also, come to think of it, the recent Barbie movie probably qualifies.)
posted by gudrun at 7:58 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by gudrun at 7:58 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Eat Pray Love is actually worth watching in this genre, and it's roughly autobiographical.
In terms of fiction (as far as I know), How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Waiting to Exhale, and Under the Tuscan Sun are good.
I feel like I've watched many other movies in this subgenre, so if I think of more I'll let you know.
posted by limeonaire at 8:08 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
In terms of fiction (as far as I know), How Stella Got Her Groove Back, Waiting to Exhale, and Under the Tuscan Sun are good.
I feel like I've watched many other movies in this subgenre, so if I think of more I'll let you know.
posted by limeonaire at 8:08 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
Oh right, Happiness for Beginners is also great. And The Broken Hearts Gallery!
posted by limeonaire at 8:18 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by limeonaire at 8:18 AM on December 28, 2023 [2 favorites]
I just noticed the "nothing spiritual or religious" requirement, so scratch Eat Pray Love. The rest hold up, though.
posted by limeonaire at 8:21 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 8:21 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Home Again is another good one.
posted by limeonaire at 8:26 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 8:26 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
The Holiday is kind of in this genre as well, if you're good with the romantic variants of it, like "finds herself, and also finds love."
posted by limeonaire at 8:37 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 8:37 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
If you don’t mind subtitles, Pane e Tulipani (Bread and Tulips) fits your requirements.
posted by Maeve at 8:59 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Maeve at 8:59 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Got a few more for ya: The Lunchbox, a couple Nicholas Sparks adaptations (Safe Haven, The Choice somewhat), Falling Inn Love, A Perfect Pairing (see more about this Australian movie genre), Ticket to Paradise (kind of in this genre, feels like it has a lot of nods to Eat Pray Love), Heart Parade (Polish dog parade movie), Faraway (Croatian house inheritance variant)... Also Emily in Paris.
posted by limeonaire at 9:22 AM on December 28, 2023
posted by limeonaire at 9:22 AM on December 28, 2023
A lot of movies about musicians are in an adjacent genre. Grace of My Heart and Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody come to mind.
posted by limeonaire at 9:26 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by limeonaire at 9:26 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Tina Turner's story, My Love Story, an autobiography.
posted by LaBellaStella at 9:41 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by LaBellaStella at 9:41 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Now, Voyager
Starring Bette Davis and Paul Henreid.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 11:48 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Starring Bette Davis and Paul Henreid.
posted by Pickman's Next Top Model at 11:48 AM on December 28, 2023 [1 favorite]
Evvie Drake Starts Over is a novel by Linda Holmes that may qualify, even though you aren't as interested in novels. The title character is right about to leave her husband when he unexpectedly dies in an accident.
posted by barnoley at 12:03 PM on December 28, 2023
posted by barnoley at 12:03 PM on December 28, 2023
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posted by lulu68 at 12:34 AM on December 28, 2023 [5 favorites]