Besson has some very interesting things to say about this off-camera and on. His casting is also very atypical, especially for female leads.
If you're not familiar with his work and what he says about it, this might not be a good question for you.
All of his films are interesting, but here are some of the more interesting ones from the perspective of gender roles:
Nikita (La Femme Nikita)
Leon (The Professional)
The Fifth Element
The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc
Angel-A
Anybody?
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