Suffragette (2015)

Genre

Drama | History

Director

Sarah Gavron

Country

UK

Cast

Carey Mulligan, Helena Bonham Carter, Meryl Streep, Natalie Press, Anne-Marie Duff, Romola Garai, Ben Whishaw, Brendan Gleeson, Samuel West, Adrian Schiller

Storyline

The fictional story of Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), a working wife and mother whose life is forever changed when she is secretly recruited to join the U.K.'s growing suffragette movement. 

Opinion

Respect for the cause does not always guarantee respect for the film, and this film is one of those cases. I really wanted to like this film, but it is nothing special. 

Indeed "Suffragette" is a solid drama but does not live up to the incredible true story and does not fulfill its potential.

For a very long time we have naively imagined suffragettes like a group of middle class women drinking tea and marching in their white blouses adorned with flowers. Sarah Gavron shows them for what they really were, that is an "army" of working women ready to sabotage their cities, to break windows and to place bombs.

This is without a doubt a really important story that needed to be told, but somehow they did not manage to bring true emotions to the audience, and the result is a film that fails to engage and does not allow you to connect with most of the characters.

Abi Morgan's screenplay ("Shame", "The Iron Lady") lacks depth, has flat characters, and is further spoiled by clichés, stupid plot devices, and a pointless subplot - the molesting boss belonged in a different film entirely.

However, the costumes and scenery are wonderful, and the acting is great. Carey Mulligan does an exceptional job as Maud Watts, and she is supported by strong performances from both Helena Bonham Carter and Anne-Marie Duff. Brendan Gleeson is particularly watchable as the Police Inspector and Meryl Streep makes a great cameo as Emily Pankhurst.

A must-watch if equal rights are important to you, but don't expect a masterpiece. 

Mention-Worthy Quotes

Emmeline Pankhurst: I would rather be a rebel than a slave.

Selma (2014)

Genre

Biography | Drama | History

Director

Ava DuVernay

Country

United Kingdom | United States

Cast

David Oyelowo, Tom Wilkinson, Tim Roth, Common, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Carmen Ejogo, Lorraine Toussaint, Oprah Winfrey, Cuba Gooding, Niecy Nash, Colman Domingo, Giovanni Ribisi, Alessandro Nicola, Keith Stanfield, Andre Holland, Tessa Thompson, Wendell Pierce, Omar Dorsey, Ledisi Young, Trai Byers, Stephan James, Kent Faulcon, John Lavelle, Henry G. Sanders, Jeremy Strong, Dylan Baker, Nigel Thatch, Charity Jordan, Haviland Stillwell, Tara Ochs, Martin Sheen, Michael Shikany, Michael Papajohn, Stephen Root

Plot

The film chronicles the tumultuous three-month period in 1965, when Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (David Oyelowo) led a dangerous campaign to secure equal voting rights in the face of violent opposition. The epic march from Selma to Montgomery culminated in President Johnson (Tom Wilkinson) signing the Voting Rights Act of 1965, one of the most significant victories for the civil rights movement.

Opinion

Selma is a good biopic, that reminds me a bit of Spike Lee's Malcolm X (starring Denzel Washington) and Lee Daniels's The Butler (starring Forest Whitaker). Well directed by Ava DuVernay, the film offers a harrowing look at the Civil Rights Movement of 1965.

David Oyelowo's performance is astonishing: he doesn't play MLK, he is MLK. Without him, this film would have been an average civil rights film, nothing more. Tim Roth does a great work portraying the racist George Wallace.

"Glory" by John Legend and Common is the perfect song for this film. "Yesterday Was Hard On All Of Us" by Fink is also good.

Buy on Amazon.com | Buy on Amazon Instant Video

Quotes

Martin Luther King Jr.: Who murdered Jimmie Lee Jackson? Every white lawman who abuses the law to terrorize. Every white politician who feeds on prejudice and hatred. Every white preacher who preaches the bible and stays silent before his white congregation. Who murdered Jimmie Lee Jackson? Every Negro man and woman who stands by without joining this fight as their brothers and sisters are brutalized, humiliated, and ripped from this Earth. 

Martin Luther King Jr.: Our lives are not fully lived if we're not willing to die for those we love, for what we believe.

Rating

8.0/10