10 Awesome Female Movie Characters Who Captivated Us

1. Shoshanna - Inglourious Basterds

Shosanna Dreyfuss Melanie Laurent Inglourious Basterds Shoshanna is an example of what pure rage and hatred can do to a person. She was a Jewish girl during World War II, and watched her entire family brutally gunned down by Colonel Landa's men. Living in Paris under an assumed identity, she found a perfect opportunity for revenge when Goebbels decided to hold a high profile film premiere at her cinema. Her thirst for vengeance drives her to hatch a plot that will kill as many Nazis as she can possibly manage. Shoshanna is an incredibly interesting character because she operates in two completely different universes. On the one hand, she's a calm, collected woman who recognizes the necessity of interacting with her oppressors in a civil manner. But she's also a violent activist who is willing to threaten to kill a film developer's entire family unless he cooperates with her plan. One of the most visually stunning scenes of the film is when Shoshanna is getting ready for the premiere. Her makeup is her war paint, as she determinedly smears it on her face to the tune of David Bowie's Cat People. It's immensely refreshing to see a woman on film allowed to have so much fury, drive, and sadness as Shoshanna exhibits just in this one sequence.
Contributor
Contributor

Audrey Fox is an ex-film student, which means that she prefers to spend her days in the dark, watching movies and pondering the director's use of diegetic sound. She currently works as an entertainment writer, joyfully rambling about all things film and television related. Add her on Twitter at @audonamission and check out her film blog at 1001moviesandbeyond.com.