Review // Suffragette

[projekktor id=’21658′]

Suffragette ravages the screen with a gripping, important story of how women in the United Kingdom fought for their rights, for a voice, for a vote. Director Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane) wonderfully captures the grit and struggle of the early feminist movement through the fictionalized historical drama.

Written by Abi Morgan (Iron Lady), Suffragette is set at the turn of the century and stars Carey Mulligan in an outstanding performance as Mrs. Maud Watts, a young wife and mother who gets caught in a growing movement to win women the right to vote. Maud campaigns for a chance, something she’s been systematically denied in life because she was born poor and female. She first takes notice of the suffragettes around her after getting caught in town during one of their acts of civil disobedience. Initially afraid of them, she soon becomes intrigued and befriends Violet Miller (Anne-Marie Duff) a fellow washer woman and a known suffragette. Violet quickly introduces Maud to her fellow suffragettes who are organized in the area by a local pharmacist, Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter). The crew are staunch believers in carrying out acts of civil disobedience preached by the movement’s leader Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) who encourages women to abandon their silent protests for actions that get them noticed.

The film delves into the many injustices facing women of the time, from financial, to familial to employment. Maud’s story begins at the height of her happiness, she has a loving husband (Ben Wishaw) a healthy son and is employed. The societal necessities of her life are met. As she joins the ranks of the suffragettes everything changes illustrating just how one sided the law was at the time. When her marriage starts to crumble, her husband is free to kick her out of her home and regain sole custody of their son denying Maud any visitation. Maud’s position at the laundry house is forfeited and she becomes the target of a police investigation headed by Brendan Gleeson’s Inspector Arthur Steed. With her home life in shambles – a direct result of her suffragette activities – it would be reasonable for Maud to abandon the cause, but she doesn’t. Instead, she realizes just how important having a legal voice is to her life and fights more vehemently for it. Mulligan is captivating, her emotional depth brings such a human quality to the historical drama. Mulligan is well on her way to another Oscar nomination for this one.

Equally as captivating as the story and Mulligan is Eduard Grau’s (A Single Man) keen eye. The cinematographer brings a stark, rough quality to the film. Visualizing the desperation, the strife and despair of the characters. Gavron has managed to put together an entertaining film about the start of one of the greatest fights for equality, one that rages to this day. It’s inspiring, it’s emotional, and it’s important; Suffragette is not a film to miss.