After a rocky Women’s History month in a year like no other, the perfect teen movie with a feminist kick to watch next is a new Netflix original: Moxie. 

Directed by Amy Poehler, this book to movie adaptation is about how a high school girl leads a feminist movement throughout her school, attacking outdated, sexist social norms. The extremely diverse cast makes for a great experience that anyone watching can relate to while providing a freshness not commonly seen in most teen movies.

Moxie showcases the journey faced by a group of very different girls who find each other to attack the sexist institutions within their school and towards boys who acted upon those institutions. This movie is empowering for women, no matter how they look or identify as there is ample representation throughout the entire movie. 

Starring Hadley Robinson as the main character and supporting actors such as Alycia Pascual, Nico Hiraga, Josie Totah, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Josephine Langford, Moxie showcases characters of various ethnicities, sexualities, and backgrounds to further the main theme of the movie: unity.

While this movie starts out to be like every other teen movie ever made with the stereotypical cliches, it quickly takes a turn into more serious topics touching on the misogyny, sexual harassment, and rape women face from young ages in society.

Moxie addresses white privilege through the main character Vivian, who gradually becomes aware of her privilege as the movie goes on, courtesy of her friends of color, specifically those of Asian descent. 

Now I have no intention of spoiling any major plot points of the movie, but one aspect of it really stood out to me: the zine.

A zine is essentially a method of expression that is spread throughout a community using eye-catching words and art to display underrepresented voices. In Moxie, their zines are used to raise awareness within the school to build up a movement to make change. It was something that united them schoolwide and really brought a sense of feel-good camaraderie to the film, even though the circumstances were not ideal.

Overall, Moxie is a great movie to watch to feel better about today’s current situations regarding women’s autonomy and safety. Whether it’s the impactful zines or the collaborative teamwork of a strong group of women, this movie can certainly lift anyone’s spirits while watching.