WATCH THE TRAILER HERE
First, the Recap:
The women’s rights movement. A hotly debated and still contended platform which stretches across the eras both here in America and abroad from the modern Middle East to it’s foundational center in Great Britain, the latter serves as the backdrop for the new period indie film, “Suffragette”. Directed by Sarah Gavron, in her second major film effort, the story takes us back to 1914 London and to the laundry where commoner Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) has toiled for many a year. Barely scraping by while trying to maintain her family–husband Sonny (Ben Whishaw) and son George (Adam Michael Dodd)–Maud’s world is unexpectedly impacted on the way home one evening when getting caught up in a riot perpetrated by members of the suffragette movement.
Suddenly swept up in the confusion and witness to the increasing brutality by local police to break up the disturbance, Maud inadvertently becomes a part of the movement herself, to the disdain of her husband, neighbors, and Inspector Steed (Brendan Gleeson), a deeply committed officer of the law who’s determined to stop the movement and those involved by any means necessary. Yet, the more Maud becomes immersed and impassioned with learning about how the State has disregarded and ignored women’s rights, the more she realizes that their turning to violent action and sacrificing everything they have in life is more than just a simple cause, but a call to a new world of freedoms they deserve. But what ultimate cost does making their plight known come with?
Next, my Mind:
Gavron wastes no time in making the portrayal of the sufferings, fortitude, and sheer tenacity of these women straight-forward and frank, while equally showcasing the brutal, unvarnished reality that the choices they made bluntly affected every aspect of their existence, to the point of truly losing hold of everything else they held dear. Likewise, the methods and cruelty of the local State police is illustrated just as forcefully, and it makes it hard to realize and grasp that these men would treat women the way they did, all in the name of attempting to quash cultural and gender-related progress, politically or otherwise. The stark settings and lowly conditions presented here as backdrop only serve to heighten the film’s atmosphere.
Mulligan is simply excellent as Maud, imbuing her with every sense of initial hesitation and “just want to try and live my life” ambivalence that ends up turned into a dogged, strong-willed, and staunch advocate of the suffragette cause. Yet in it all, she never loses her own individuality nor the love for her husband and son, despite getting taken away from it all and facing the challenging positions she’s faced with and observes. A strong supporting cast including Helena Bonham-Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Natalie Press, plus a cameo by Meryl Streep as suffragette founder Emmeline Pankhurst, all add weight to the tale and what we are therefore privy to is a powerful, potent look at a major catalyst for change and the affect of perseverance no matter the price.
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
