After watching Suffragette for the second time I had hoped to have formed a different opinion, initially I left the cinema feeling bored and underwhelmed. The problem I'd say I have with it is that I find it strangely vacuous, on no level can I connect with it, or any of its characters. That is not to say that I find the acting bad, indeed far from it, there are some cracking performances, Carey Mulligan, Anne Marie Duff and for the amount she's actually in it, Helena Bonham Carter. Mulligan delivers frustration and despair well, she loses her family, her job, dignity and lashes out on her pig of a boss.
I found it a little like a grim version of Made in Dagenham with hats on. There are much better sources out there detailing the Suffragette movement, I know it's a film, but the core essence of what was being demanded, and exactly who was demanding it seemed to be lacking. Why wasn't there a single sympathetic man in the entire film, surely every single man at the time was the same? Even lovely Ben Whishaw was nasty.
Meryl Streep's speech was the highlight of the film, she had presence and added a realism to the character, in her all to brief appearance.
It's not the easiest film to get through, it leaves you feeling a little flat, with the cast and subject matter it could have been special, I wonder had it been made on the small screen as a series would it have worked better? A few lighter touches would have truly helped. I thought the credits at the end were a nice touch.
Disappointing, 5/10
