Suffragette

This review may contain spoilers!

I guess they're saving all the best films for the end of 2015. I would give Suffragette an 8.5/10.

This film's plot is one side of many many arguments presented perfectly from a storyteller's perspective; and while you don't have to agree with the argument I think it's very worth showing up to the debate this film presents. The plot is constructed in a way that as the main protagonist develops so do the themes about women's equality and societal issues. Because this film presents such controversial and compelling material constantly you never really stop being hooked by the film, as a result the pacing in Suffragette is great. The cinematography for this film is quite raw and feels spot on for a political historical drama, the camera work might not be the best I've ever seen but there is definitely an artistic quality to the director's vision.

Anne-Marie Duff, who played Violet Miller, had some amazing chemistry with Mulligan in this film; it was Duff's initial ferocity that made the suffrage movement in this film feel so compelling. Geoff Bell, who played Norman Taylor, was just one of the many great male antagonists in this film; Bell presented a character who was thoroughly despicable from the get go which was excellent for the role. Ben Whishaw, who played Sonny Watts, was probably the most complex male character of the film; I liked how much he clearly cared for Mulligan in this film despite becoming an antagonist towards her due to his internalised misogyny. Helena Bonham Carter, who played Edith Ellyn, is an incredible leading presence in this film; Carter presents a fighter who almost blindly attacks at the cost of her own health. Brendan Gleeson, who played Inspector Arthur Steed, was a really great antagonist in this film; he worked really well against Mulligan the two of them were incredible opposites of one another. Adrian Schiller, who played David Lloyd George, was a character of two sides which I really liked; he seemed like a very reassuring role at first but then quickly appeared quite despicable at a crucial point of the film. Meryl Streep, who played Emmeline Pankhurst, had one of the greatest scenes of the film; Streep is exceptionally powerful as Pankhurst particularly in line delivery.

However the best performance came from Carey Mulligan, who played Maud Watts. Mulligan is phenomenal at presenting characters who display a great degree of development. This film has a solid protagonist in her and basically evolves at the same rate she does. I love how nuanced Mulligan can be, you feel the build of rage she displays towards Bell's role or the grief she feels over Press' role. Overall I love the spirit displayed by Mulligan in this feature, she was forever battling and struggling with hardship and at the end of the day Mulligan is one of the best actresses out there at the moment.

This film's editing wasn't great, particularly the colouring; I have a real gripe with historical English films that keep toning films grey or brown. The score for this film is quite ineffective as well, more often than not it fell into the background and failed to help set the tone for the film.

Grace Stottor, who played Maggie Miller, was a character who had a lot of significance to Mulligan and Duff was completely underutilised in this film; it was frustrating to see this character have so much potential but get no screen presence. Adam Michael Dodd, who played George Watts, wasn't a very good child actor; I felt like he had some emotional scenes but only ever played a two dimensional role. Romola Garai, who played Alice Haughton, had no screen presence in amongst the rest of this amazing female ensemble cast; Garai was a performer you forgot about for large periods of the film. Finbar Lynch, who played Hugh Ellyn, was a character I both liked and didn't like; I liked he wasn't used as a pariah for the 'supportive' male role but at the same time he really needed to have more screen time and chemistry with Carter. Natalie Press, who played Emily Wilding Davison, was one of the bigger disappointments in the film; she was treated more as a political symbol than a character.