Juno from Juno 

With wit sharp as a knife, always on point with cultural references, and never shying from speaking her mind, Juno is undoubtedly one of the most intelligent and confident characters of recent cinema. However, there is far more to Juno that zingy one-liners. Helped along by a pitch-perfect performance by Ellen Page and a masterful Oscar-winning script, we eventually find out that Juno is far more complex and vulnerable than she likes to let off, making her character not only great company, but also extremely sympathetic.

Peggy Dodd from The Master

The Master is P.T. Anderson’s most subtly titled film in the fact we never truly know who The Master is. I would argue that his wife Peggy Dodd, played by the always stunning Amy Adams, could give her cult-creating husband a run for his money.

While he does the public speeches, behind closed doors, it’s far more ambiguos, with Peggy’s tearful manipulation and aggressive handjobs making us wonder who’s really in control.

“Maybe he’s past help… Or insane,” Peggy says of one character. She may need to take a look in the mirror…

Furiosa from Mad Max: Fury Road

Furiosa can be described eloquently with one word: badass. She’s a true rebel, protecting those who are vulnerable and fighting for what she believes in, no matter what the costs.

And fighting with true style, I might add; high speed driving, avalanches, snipers, daggers, fist-fighting – it’s somewhat embarrassing that in 2016 we’re still marvelling over a female action hero who holds her own in the heat of battle. But Furiosa, brought to life by Charlize Theron, does more than that; Furiosa is by no means Mad Max’s inferior – she’s his equal.

Celine from Before Midnight 

There’s nothing better for a film viewer than watching a character develop over a series of films. Julie Delpy’s Céline from Richard Linklater’s Before trilogy is perhaps the best example. The Céline we see in Before Midnight is a complicated, modern woman trying to have it all and barely keeping it together. What is so likable about Céline is that she defiantly never apologises for the way she conducts her life. The result is explosive: complicated, argumentative, funny… the list of adjectives attest to Céline’s wonderful complexity.

Sandra from Two Days, One Night

Mental health is a subject that cinema has generally failed to portray truthfully: Two Days, One Night is an exception. Not only is the reason for protagonist Sandra’s depression ambiguous, flagging up the fact that depression can affect anyone, but also it is through herself that she is able to find an escape.
She isn’t dependent on the relationship with her husband or her children, a trope which so many female characters are still subjected to. It is through her own determination and good will that she able to find a light at the end of the tunnel.