The news is full of stories about people fighting back at attempted restrictions and limitations to women’s bodies. In Hollywood, the same can be said for some of the films in this year’s awards race.

Director and co-writer Pedro Almodóvar’s brilliantly colored “The Room Next Door” stars Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton as estranged friends who reconnect when the latter’s character opts for euthanasia instead of slowly and painfully succumbing to cancer. Director-writer Marielle Heller’s metaphoric black comedy-horror “Nightbitch” is an adaptation of Rachel Yoder’s novel about motherhood, in which a harried yet loving mom (Amy Adams) transforms into a dog as she increasingly loses her own identity while raising her young son.

Writer-director Halina Reijn’s sexy psychological drama “Babygirl,” which stars Nicole Kidman, goes into the power of being the submissive one in a sexual relationship. Writer-director Coralie Fargeat’s dark comedy “The Substance,...