LAMORINDA WEEKLY | 'Suffragette'


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I have always enjoyed movies that make you think about our society and the development of human rights over the centuries. "Suffragette" is one of those films that deals with women focusing on their right to vote in England at the beginning of the 20th century. It should be noted that the film is based on actual events, but the characters are fictional.

The movie is centered around a young married laundry worker, Maud Watts, portrayed by Oscar nominee Carey Mulligan ("An Education"). Maud is at a crossroads in her life and is dealing with many issues: she is being sexually harassed by her boss, her husband verbally abuses her, and she is raising a young son. Watts soon discovers the growing suffragette movement and must decide if she should join the fight for women's rights or remain in her current sheltered and mostly abusive situation.

Sarah Gavron, an award winning British director (British Academy Film award Best New Director for "The Little Life") directed "Suffragette." This film will most likely be her first Academy Award nomination. The story at times seems to be repetitive and a bit slow-paced, but overall it is one of the best movies to be released so far this year.

If you are expecting to see a Meryl Streep film, "Suffragette" is not it. Streep has a total screen time of about five minutes. This is Carey Mulligan's film and her performance is Oscar-worthy and she is the current front-runner to win Best Actress.

"Suffragette" won the Audience Award at the 2015 Mill Valley Film Festival. The movie is rated PG-13 and has a total running time (TRT) of 1 hour and 46 minutes.

"Suffragette" made me realize that everyone believes in a cause and if you are not fighting for that cause, someone else already has.