Suffragette (2015) Film Review

The battle for women's rights is an ongoing issue that continues to this day, and at a status which – while certainly an improvement over how women were treated a century ago – is somewhat undermining of their true deserving nature. But with the balance starting to equalise in some parts of the world, Hollywood has now decided to shine a light on the feminist movement, not least thanks to the growth of its biggest stars speaking out about it, and with a plethora of female-based films (ranging from the musical Pitch Perfect 2 to the fuel-guzzling Mad Max: Fury Road) across the year and countless more on the way, the pinnacle of them of all should be Suffragette – the infamous political unit lead by Emmeline and Christabel Pankhurst during the early twentieth century which fought for women's rights in a time when women were simple workers in "women roles" such as cleaning and stitching. And with a award-winning cast of actors ranging from Carey Mulligan (who's moved so far away from her stint in Doctor Who) to Meryl Streep. But as appealing as it all sounds, can the biopic do the movement any justice?

Maud Watts (Mulligan) is no different to any other woman her age in 1912. Starting work in the factory from a young age and practically been raised in said factory back when her mother worked there, she initially seems normalised by the whole ideology of a lower working wage for more hours, basic household jobs and looking after her family; even when disgusting events occur under the hands of her boss (Kingsman's Geoff Ball). But after gaining some level of interest in the Suffragette movement by her radical co-worker Violet (Anne-Marie Duff) and a somewhat successful speech towards selective members of the House of Commons on behalf on Violet, she begins to become more and more involved. And while she gains massive amounts of respect from Violet, Edith (Bonham Carter) and even the great Emmeline herself (Streep), she also loses the respect of her co-workers, her neighbours and even her husband Ben Whishaw (losing his Paddington accent for the role) – even casting her out and taking the mothering duties himself to his dismay – and not helped is a continuous following from Brendan Gleeson's Inspector. But Watts ad her fellow women must fight for their basic rights – no matter how radical the movement becomes.

It's unfortunate just how refreshing this film is in terms of the behind the scenes information, with a female director at the helm in the form of Sarah Gavron alongside a team of female producers and writers to go alongside the female-driven tale – something or a rarity but an ideology that is beginning to grow in the film industry. And as a tale, it is one worthy of the silver screen, filled with emotional highs and gruesome lows. Thanks to a knock-out screenplay by Abi Morgan, you have some interesting stuff at hand. That said of course – and I don't mean this in any way to disregard the feminist movement nor start some form of debate – male characters are a little short on range. It's understandable as to why, seeing as it is likely that this is how they'd have been at the time, and there is at least one notable exception in the form of Finbar Lynch, but perhaps a little variety would be nice. And maybe even a perspective from the male gaze as to why they're so opposed to the notion as opposed to a straight one-sided story. But with all that being said, it's still refreshing to have a strong screenplay with at least some level of depth to it. 

The biggest issue that the film has is its direction sadly, with only the occasional shot looking great while the rest seems a little too close to the character's faces during some of the more simpler moments. Granted, in some of the bigger moments it works, especially during a particularly frightful sequence of one character being force-fed (some Suffragettes went on hunger strikes during their brief periods in prison in rebellion of the system), but it’s a bit of an eye-sore when you have a severe close up of Mulligan's otherwise lovely face when it could have looked better in literally any other angle or style. It does sometimes have a great and stunning visual which occurs every so often in the final act, but the road towards such beauty is a treacherous one. 

But thankfully, the biggest selling point are the performances at hand, and it's hard to deny that there's a weak one on show. As our lead Maud, Carey Mulligan shows tremendous strength as her character grows from a simple woman who just lives as normal to a rebelling Suffragette who follows the radical approaches of her fellow freedom fighters, and following her journey is an enticing one. While she doesn't exactly spearhead any of the major events caused by the Suffragette movement, she is at least involved in some shape or form of some of the bigger conquests which allows for enjoyable viewing – which is fine considering that she's an amalgamation of several suffragettes at the time. Helena Bonham Carter is equally strong as the devoted rights-fighter, with her steady decline in health as events occur being portrayed perfectly and a great way of showing just how far the movement would go into the stage of going radical. On the other side of the coin is Anne-Marie Duff as Violet, who pushes to an extent but is very passionate about the ordeal – and especially that others join in on the fight – and also does a stellar job in something of an underrated performance. There's also noteworthy but small roles for Romola Garari and Natalie Press, and then there's Meryl Streep – an understandably over-saturated actress in all the promotional material when considering her physical presence lasts all of three minutes, with all her actual actions taking place off-screen via newspaper clippings and police investigations. It's a great pity that she's been marketed so poorly, and if done right it could have been a nice surprise for movie-goers to see such a prestigious actress appear in the role of Emmeline Pankhurst.

But let's not of course forget the disgruntled males of the pictures, starting with Whishaw's performance as Maud's husband. While initially he may not appear as interesting as expected, the overall story his character follows in conjunction with Mulligan's does make for one of the film's high points. Brendan Gleeson's Steed is also an interesting character, as it's fascinating watching him interrogate and investigate. So as ever, Gleeson gives off a strong performance. Geoff Ball is just as disgusting as he was in Kingsman, so it's nice to know it's a performance he can repeat in numerous areas and time periods, and Fibnar Lynch is strong in a very small (literal) supporting role.

Suffragette will likely be a film filled with controversy for some of its white-washing and for any menimist out there who opposes to such a history ever existing, but those who aren't looking for a reason to pre-judge and hate the film will likely be entranced by it. Female viewers will likely be empowered by the notions, and male viewers like myself will be entranced by just how hard it was for women a century ago – with the obligatory biopic prologue adding heat to the fire for support for both genders. But with the iffy direction and a few bits of poor marketing for Streep does leave room for some disappointment, and the film doesn't really pick up until the third act. But with that said, it is still worth a watch for the performances alone. 8/10.