I tend to love these movies. I just used the term “Outcast” as am umbrella. It could be a 35-yr old woman who’s a virgin (Rachel, Rachel) or a woman who might be shy, overweight (Sugarbaby)… Especially movies where there might be characters, but they’re in the background while we see her in public, but also in private, when she’s all alone. She might be crying, over-eating, watching TV, being home all day in sadness, talking to herself or in silence, but they usually get the audience to emphasize with her, although that isn’t the important thing. It is nice to “fall in love” with a woman on screen, because you can sorta be in the movie, vicariously, maybe placing yourself in a role, where your imagination can roam free with hers.
Anyway, I recommend those movies:
-Rachel, Rachel (1967)
-Sugarbaby (1985) - which is on Prime, but also on YouTube
Do you mean single as in unmarried/not dating anyone or single as in an individual woman? And in either case, are you looking for movies where that’s just an aspect of their character or that the movie is focused on it?
How about Grease? Sandy starts out the new school year as a single teen and is “outkast”, if you want to call it that, for being a goody two shoes. Regarding “Especially movies where there might be characters, but they’re in the background while we see her in public, but also in private, when she’s all alone”…I think her Hopelessly Devoted To You" song sums that up pretty well.
I feel like you could maybe shoehorn Girl, Interrupted into this topic, but I’m not entirely sure.
How about the spinster aunts from Pushing Daisies (though they were supporting characters)?
Woman Under the Influence . Originally, John Cassavetes wanted to do it as a stage play until he realized what an ordeal that would have been for Gena Rowlands.
I’m not entirely clear what the parameters of the OP are, but what about The Accused with Jodie Foster? Her character isn’t exactly single but she’s certainly an outcast – her low social status is a significant plot point of the movie.
This might be a lot darker and more…I’m looking for the right word here…“sadistic” maybe, in the way the characters are put through various degrading scenarios - but “Happiness” might be an example of such a film.
The French comedy Amélie (2001) is what I thought of immediately but it might be lighter in tone than what you’re looking for? Here’s one I’m pretty sure fits the bill: The Hungarian magic realist drama On Body and Soul.
I wish I would have put in “Drama” for the genre… Single in both ways preferably, especially being alone on the screen. Basically, those two movies I mentioned are the only ones I can think of. A movie where the focus is on one woman, where those she interacts with are “one-time” characters you won’t see again, until her issues are “resolved”. In “Rachel’s” situation, she discovers she’s not pregnant as she thought (after a one-night stand with a married man she knew from school, who ignored her after the occasion), and the movie ends when she tells her friend she’s going to leave the state and her mother - who’s role is defined (Rachel lives with her mother), but the mother has only a few lines, and things are either imprinted, or referenced later.
“A Woman Under The Influence” is in my Top 10… She’s alone in early scenes, but she goes to a mental institute for a while, and see Falk playing father (and MUCH worse)… He’s the crazy one! She was made crazy, usually by accident, or “bad optics”. And her humanity. She goes to pick up her kids, and asks women with watches, “Can you tell me the time please? I’m picking up my kids from the bus” and they all walk past her, without even acknowledging her existence, but passerbys watching would think Mabel (Rowlands) is the crazy one, because some people only see the response. I could mention so many instances of how she’s much more stable than her husband, who gives his kids beer so they can fall asleep, making his job easier. He also seems to care more about appearance than reality (at the beginning and when he waltzes in asking for dinner for 15 guys). And then the mother-in-law, who surprisingly is more empathetic when she returns, but Falk’s character (Nick) seems to rely on his mother for advice, instead of talking with his wife.
“Wanda” is a bittersweet movie because of Loden’s death. I gave it a 7/10, but I think that movie is a bit more centered around her. If I remember correctly, she makes a few phone calls (doesn’t she leave a man) when she’s being treated like shit by the man driving the car, but the focus is on her, not him.
Btw, a lot of Cassavetes’ movies are on YouTube in full for those interested. I think Gena Rowlands delivers the greatest performance on film - even better than anything Brando did… I also saw “Wanda” on YouTube, but this was years ago, although I’d like to check it out for this topic. I’ve been in a 2-3 yr movie slump, but have found out when I find something I like, to keep moving in that direction. Previously it was the movies from Eastern Europe after WWII, and recently, Egyptian movies from the 50-70s, especially ones directed by Henry Barakat and/or starring the great Faten Hamama and Omar Sharif. Faten actually married both guys!
Yes, I don’t expect there to be many movies that fit this…
Another example I could give (to help) for a movie centered around a single man would be “Sult” (Hunger) from 1966 based on Knut Hamsun’s novel. It’s also on YouTube, but I’m not sure if the subtitles are still there, but there are ways around that if you look hard enough… And in another way, probably “Taxi Driver”, but not as much as the aforementioned “Svalt” (co-production with multiple titles).
Pretty in Pink though really …Molly Ringwald as an outcast isn’t really believable these days but back then as a (much less attractive) outcast redheaded teenager, I loved that movie. Also featuring Suzanne Vega’s single Left of Center which I would also assume is about an outcast woman/girl.
“Dancer in the Dark”, a musical starring Bjork checks a lot of your boxes.
The main character is a factory worker who fantasizes that her life is a musical. It is a strange, sad, wonderful movie.
