Women making history one bomb at a time

Carey Mulligan stars in "Suffragette." Image courtesy Focus Features

Politeness and traditional British social rules accomplish little  in “Suffragette,” a film that depicts the women's suffrage movement of the early 1900s in the United Kingdom as a civil war. Women and men supporting women’s right to vote square off against the government and its ruthless police force: Bombs are lit, torturous acts are committed, and female bodies are beaten without mercy as much of the country offers an unsympathetic collection of tsk tsks to the female combatants.

That's the battle “Suffragette's” protagonist, Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan), is coerced into through a few simple acts guided by good or bad timing, depending on how the point of view. Prior to becoming a civil rights warrior, she works as a laundress in a large, dangerous factory in London alongside her husband (Ben Whishaw), earning far less than he for a job that is far more dangerous. They do have a lovely little moppet of a son (Adam Michael Dodd), who Mulligan dotes upon with raging tenderness and a soothing voice. It's not a happy life for the family – this is one of those barely make ends meet scenarios – but the unit does enough to have a roof, food, and enough clothing to stay warm.

At least until Mulligan replaces a coworker (Anne-Marie Duff) and gives a testimony to Parliament as part of a hearing that could result in women earning voting rights. The potential turns for naught though, and Mulligan is thrust right smack dab into the clash between her fellow protesters (Helena Bonham Carter's Edith Ellyn among them) and the country's law enforcers, including Brendan Gleeson's moderately kind inspector. The time for kind words and cookies are over as the women launch an explosive campaign to draw attention to their movement, guided in spirit and in one rousing speech by leader Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep).

Such actions have their consequences, a fact “Suffragette” reinforces through the fate poor Mulligan receives for joining the movement. She's kicked out of her home by her husband, fired by her lecherous employer, force fed in prison, and watches as her son is taken away because she lacks custody of her child. Mulligan takes the emotional hit but continues onward anyway, throwing herself even deeper into the skirmishes and raising a little hell along the way.

“Suffragette” is a brutal film, depicting the acts of violence toward woman in a gritty, uncomfortable fashion, most notably via a protest broken up through batons, punches and kicks directed toward women with no means of protecting themselves. Director Sarah Gavron and writer Abi Morgan don't shy away from depicting that violence either; they want the viewers to have at least a proper inkling of what the protesters went through to earn the right to vote, and what they went through was not all rainbows and lollipops. “Suffragette” doesn't offer a complete history lesson about the fight, but it provides a nice entryway for anyone eager to learn more about the era and the reaction to the suffrage movement during the era; although it is a bit surprising the film didn't use the “learn more about it at your local library” line as a postscript. What is in its place though is a timeline outlining when women earned the right to vote in various countries, an informative bit of information that drops the hammer on the nail with a little too much force. “Suffragette” loses itself as a film to historical didactism, tossing in bits of dialogue to emphasize political points the character would not use otherwise.

The need to tell story of such a complex movement requires the use of a deep roster of characters who become blurred together as the film progresses. Such a movie can’t devote enough time to give a peek into the lives of all the characters, which wouldn’t be a problem if a secondary character didn’t offer herself up as a sacrificial lamb; the moment is rough, but the film doesn't invest enough time with her to make the moment land with the desired thump.

Fortunately, “Suffragette” isn't lost completely to polemics and politics. Grounding the violence, the rhetoric and the overly didactic closing statement is a simple, tragic story of a mother loving her son and a son loving his mother. Mulligan and Dodd have an incredible rapport, bouncing off each other with obvious glee and affection and the occasional bout of silliness that just makes the relationship that much more endearing. That bond serves as the heart of the film, the main reason why “Suffragette” isn't lost to a wave of moral self-righteousness, and a reminder that governments should never, ever piss off a devoted mother.

Review: Four out of Five Stars

Click here to see the trailer.

Rating: PG-13

Run time: 106 minutes

Genre: Historical drama

Ask Away

Target audience: Anyone down for a bit of history reenactment tied to women's rights.

Take the whole family?: A 13 year old can handle it, but “Suffragette” gets a little discomfiting and graphically violent for anyone much younger.

Theater or Netflix?: It's cool to go for a matinee or as part of a class trip for teens.

Academy Award chances?: “Suffragette” doesn't have a great chance of picking up any nominations for writing, directing, top film or cinematography – tracking sites don't have it listed among the contenders – although Carey Mulligan has a very strong (and deserving) chance at a nod for Best Actress.

Watch this as well?: There really aren't a plethora of films about the suffrage movement, so I'll go with a couple of female-oriented films by the terrific Kelly Reichardt – the tragic “Wendy and Lucy” and the existential western “Meek's Cutoff.”