With the sun shifting out of virtuous Virgo and into lively Libra on September 22, stop taking your movie-watching habits so seriously and have a little fun. Libra’s signature scales symbolize justice, balance, marriage, and relationships. This Libra Season watchlist includes films that explore those themes, pay homage to Libra actors and directors, or are a subtle nod to the astrological quirks that linger among us during this time of year: wafts of indecision, lavish dinner parties, and glitter—lots of glitter.
Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown (1988)
A Libra watchlist without Pedro Almodóvar would be incomplete—and a lot less colorful. The iconic Libra director has a stylish slate of films under his belt, all of which equally balance humor with heart. Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown leans into its campy comedy with over-the-top antics and a carousel of eccentric characters.
Almodóvar’s films are known for their detailed set designs filled with rich hues, eclectic art, and an overall eye toward aesthetics. Venus, the sign of beauty, rules Libra, giving them the tendency to prioritize the material world. In an interview, one production designer who’s worked with Almódovar said, “The connecting thread is Pedro’s interest in elevated aesthetics…He has an innate sense of beauty and a particular appreciation for craft, which is apparent in every shot.”
Muriel’s Wedding (1994)
Libra is the zodiac sign that symbolizes marriage, making it the perfect time for a wedding movie. Muriel’s Wedding, an underseen gem from down under, stars Toni Collette as Muriel, a social outcast who spends most of her time obsessing over two things: ABBA and her dream wedding.
Muriel constantly dreams of escaping her podunk hometown of Porpoise Spit and finding the love of her life. She so desperately wants to fit in with the cool girls and live out her dream wedding despite a lack of real friendship or true love. Muriel takes drastic measures in her pursuit to become an idealized version of herself. As daydreamers, people pleasers, and extremely social creatures, Libras could learn a lesson or two from Muriel’s Wedding.
Traffic (2000)
As the sign of justice, it’s only fitting to watch a few crime flicks during Libra Season. Steven Soderbergh’s Traffic depicts how muddled the criminal justice system can become when individuals start working in their own interest over the greater good. Among an ensemble cast of talented actors, the film stars real-life Libra-Libra couple Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a thrilling collision of corruption, cartels, and drug addiction.
Traffic is known for its significant use of color to portray its story. The film oscillates between three distinctly tinted settings and storylines: in blue-toned suburban Ohio, a teenager’s hard drug habits come to the attention of her father (Douglas), who was just appointed to head the President’s Office of National Drug Control Policy; in green-toned San Diego, a covert drug lord’s wife (Zeta-Jones) puts the pieces together after her husband is arrested; and in yellow-toned Mexico, bloody battles break out among rival cartels.
Party Girl (1995)
If there’s one thing Libras know how to do, it’s throwing a party. Whether that’s an all-out rager or an intense game night, they’re naturals at entertaining. Get in the partying spirit with the 1995 indie film Party Girl, starring Parker Posey in one of her most iconic roles. Mary is a free-spirited New Yorker toeing the line between a bustling nightlife at clubs and raves and the fluorescent lights of her new clerk job at the New York Public Library. As she tackles the giant that is the Dewey Decimal System, she struggles to maintain her party girl status and seeks to strike a balance between both worlds.
Perfect Blue (1997)
There’s no better time to reevaluate your life choices than Libra Season! That’s exactly what Mima does in Perfect Blue, the 1997 anime from the legendary Libra Satoshi Kon. In a career change from music to acting, Mima discards her cookie-cutter image and debuts a darker look as the new star of a hit detective show. This sudden shift leads to dissatisfied fans, stalkers, and a dissociative blurring of realities. Unlike Geminis, who thrive in their chameleon-like tendencies, Libras can struggle with shifting from one version of themselves to the next. This struggle is at the heart of Perfect Blue as Mima reconciles with the true version of herself among all the perceptions of her.
The Love Witch (2016)
Libra Season is the true beginning of Spooky Season, but it’s not the full-fledged horror fest that is the impending doom of Scorpio Season. It’s more of a flirtation with the taboo, a dipping of the toes into the occult.
The Love Witch is less about instilling fear and more about looking wickedly fabulous. Libra actress Samantha Robinson stars in the titular role as Elaine, a young witch who casts love spells on men in order to lure them into her web. The film has a definitive style with its striking color palette and vintage aesthetic—basically what a Libra’s Pinterest dreams are made of.
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
As the femme fatale of the zodiac wheel, Libra season is a good time to celebrate bad women, and Bonnie Parker is one of the baddest. The Libra outlaw linked up with Clyde Barrow to go on one of the most notorious sprees of robberies and murders, depicted in the 1967 dramatization Bonnie and Clyde, directed by fellow Libra Arthur Penn. The film follows the deadly duo from their fledgling romance to their fatal end.
Besides its prevailing themes of crime and justice, there are three other signature Libra traits embodied in the film: fashion, photoshoots, and trends. Libras are naturally stylish, and Faye Dunaway serves an iconic cheeky bob-and-beret number as Bonnie Parker. Libras rarely shy away from a good photoshoot, which was one of Bonnie and Clyde’s favorite pastimes as they posed with their guns and money before sending the photos off to the press. Lastly, Bonnie and Clyde was the catalyst for several new trends in filmmaking and kicked off what we now know as the New Hollywood Era.
Saltburn (2023)
“If you think you’re getting away, I will prove you wrong.” —a Libra, probably. Once a Libra knows what they want (or who they want), which is rare given their chronic indecisiveness, they tend to stick to their guns. When you know, you know, and in Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn, Oliver (Barry Keoghan) definitely knew.
Oliver’s fawning over the richer, more popular, hotter Oxford socialite Felix (Jacob Elordi) leads to some truly shocking scenes, grave acts, and a dance number to end all dance numbers. The film is undoubtedly sexy, scandalous, and risqué; it’s also polarizing and not everyone’s cup of tea, which might sum up a few Libras you know. With Fennell and Keoghan both born under Libra, Saltburn is the dripping Maraschino cherry on a Libra Season sundae.
Read my colleague’s full review of the film here.
Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion (1997)
Don’t call it a comeback—it’s just a high school reunion! Libras love a good glow-up, which Romy and Michele are determined to pull off ahead of their ten-year high school reunion in front of all their old bullies and crushes. Starring two Libras, Mira Sorvino as Romy and Janeane Garofalo as Heather, a fellow outcast classmate, this film embodies a favorite Libra motto: “fake it till you make it.”
With the quirky Lisa Kudrow starring as Michele and the fabulous Alan Cumming as Sandy Frink, the eccentric geek-turned-businessman, this high school reunion gets campy quickly in all the best ways. From the ‘90s fits to the silly dance numbers, Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion honors the fun frivolity of Libra Season.
The Birdcage (1996)
In a dinner party gone wrong, Nathan Lane (in drag) and Robin Williams try to pass as the archetypal nuclear family in order to impress their son’s fiancée’s parents, including her conservative father, Senator Keeley (Gene Hackman). In this comedy of errors, based on the French farce La Cage aux Folles, politics get personal as hard-boiled belief systems clash in Palm Beach, Florida.
It doesn’t star and isn’t directed by a Libra, but The Birdcage exudes big Libra Season energy. The laughs hit hard, the jabs sting, and the performances swing big in this balanced medley of humor and satire with an important underlying political message. The movie’s success broke boundaries during its release in 1996, cementing it as a foundational text of queer cinema. Blending drag, dinner parties, and justice, The Birdcage is a must-watch for any Libra movie lover.
List Courtesy of Kasey Dunifer
Feature Image Designed by Kasey Dunifer
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