Suffragette - Review

"Never surrender. Never give up the fight" – A review of Suffragette. 

One of my earliest memories, as with a lot of people who grew up in the UK, was taking part in World Book Day at school. Parents would scramble to sort out a costume for their children – one of the best I ever saw was when my friend came in dressed in a coloured in cardboard box, decorated to look like the wardrobe from The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – but my school gave us another option. We could dress as a character from any book, including non-fiction. So, what did my mother do?

Dress her 6-year-old up as Emmeline Pankhurst, of course.

There I was, in a long dress, wearing a "Votes for Women" sash whilst most of my friends were wizards or superheroes. I wasn't complaining though – mum had explained the suffragette movement to me, and I thought it was terribly silly that boys could be more important than girls. The boys at my school were mainly concerned with stealing my Pokémon cards and playing football, whilst the girls were creating entire characters to play as, entire imaginary worlds and stories to play in, inspired no doubt by the dramas our parents were watching of an evening. I was very happy to run around screaming "votes for women!" in confused children's faces, much to the amusement of my teachers, and so my interest in the women's rights movement was born.

Since then, I've taken a real interest in historical movements for equality throughout history (and to be quite frank, in the present day too) so when Suffragette was released, I was immediately interested. Released in 2015 and directed by Sarah Gavron, the film chronicles the struggles of women fighting for their rights in early 20th century Britain, focussing on the grassroots movement which paved the way for greater equality.

The plot follows Maud Watts, a working-class woman whose life is changed forever after her involvement in the suffragette movement. You follow Maud as she gradually awakens to the injustices faced by women every day and commits to the cause – you watch peaceful protest escalating to civil disobedience, the emotional and physical toll the movement took on the people involved, the impact it had on families and of course the relentless oppression and opposition from the authorities.

Carey Mulligan is a completely believable and likeable Maud Watts, as she delivers a compelling performance of a vulnerable yet resilient woman who is determined to make a positive difference in society. Helena Bonham Carter, one of my favourite actors, is a passionate Edith Ellyn, bringing gravitas and depth to the role. Although only appearing briefly, Meryl Streep's Emmeline Pankhurst is memorable and injects the film with historical significance. The performances overall are nuanced and often understated, but completely powerful, each actor being perfect for their respective role.

The themes are what you'd expect for a film about the suffragette movement; feminism, empowerment and social justice are all explored at length through the eyes of the women who were being affected by the inequality of the times. Suffragette explores themes that are still completely relevant today – the cost of activism, the solidarity needed to create change, the generational impact of the movement, as well as class issues. The message of the film is clear – the movement changed everything, yet the fight for equality is still going strong today.

Suffragette is a thoughtful, impactful depiction of a very important period of British history. Drama meets a reminder of the ongoing struggle of equality today, whilst strong performances remind you of the human cost of creating change. This isn't just highly entertaining, but it's educational too – and I cannot recommend it enough.

Written by Tam Page

Posted by Mr. Tomney

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