Suffragette

Much of the success of Suffragette can be attributed to its relevance to present day. The film may be dressed as a period film but the anger over inequality is one that is still strong.

The film owes a lot to the fictionalised protagonist Maud, who is played brilliantly by Carey Mulligan. Mulligan delivers an understated performance that befits Maud, a downtrodden mother, wife and laundress that looks much more tired and weary than her 24 years, making it a genuinely a pleasure to see the transformation from innocent bystander to fervent activist. Maud’s realisation that she cannot reconcile her life as a mother and wife with the cause of the suffragettes is heart wrenching. Supported by an on-form Helena Bonham Carter as chemist Edith and Anne-Marie Duff as the suffragette co-worker who pulls the reluctant Maud into the movement, the relationships between the women and their differing convictions and reasons are understandably the centre piece of the movie. Though sometimes unsubtle, Suffragette offers an unflinching portrayal of the realities of the movement, capturing the sentiment of the story with such sincerity that it overcomes its flaws triumphantly.

Hayley Perry