Meryl Streep played Emmeline Pankhurst in this film for a very short performance. The cast included Carey Mulligan as a suffragette in an unhappy marriage with a son. She is fighting for the right to vote. You would never think that there were rules to prevent women from voting in elections. The film tells the story of how the British suffragette movement and how they fought for equality. Meryl Streep does a very good job. The film cast is first rate with Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham Carter were terrific onscreen. The entire cast was terrific but the writing could have been better. The film was set in 1912 and the art direction was first rate with the costumes and setting. Anne Marie Duff was great as Violet. Helena Bonham Carter played Edith. The film has some weaknesses in the storyline. The ending was satisfactory but left feeling incomplete overall.

Coaxed into joining the Suffragette movement, an early twentieth century factory worker becomes instrumental in the fight for women to have the right to vote in this historical drama that blends fictional and real life characters together. Carey Mulligan is well cast as the title character, credible every step of the way as she gradually progresses from nonchalance to activism and has to deal with losing her stable home life in the process. Meryl Streep also does well in a minor role as the leader of the Suffragette movement, but quality acting aside, this is a hard film to recommend. Above all else, 'Suffragette' is relentlessly grim and angry. The washed-out grey colour scheme does the film no favours and there is not a single moment of comic relief to be had. It is endlessly downbeat too and as the only likable male character in the entire film is Mulligan's preteen son, the film comes off as rather biased, which makes it hard to warm to its important messages about standing up for equality and fairness. Those keenly interested in the subject might, however, find more to like in the film. Some history buffs have dismissed the movie for its invention of a composite character protagonist, however, the graphic depiction of the violent lengths to which women had to go in their quest for equality is certainly hard to shake. Same goes for the gritty jail scenes where Mulligan is at her most emotionally shattered. This is, however, a film to approach with caution. One definitely needs to be in the right mood as it depicts more of a sad rather than uplifting slice of modern history.

In this day and age many of us take a lot for granted. Often forgotten are those in history who fought so hard and valiantly in order for future generations to have better rights, and better lives because of those rights. The sacrifices of these women is to be applauded. I am in awe, as I am of any oppressed peoples who have fought to earn the right to be treated as part of the human race and not be controlled as 'sub-humans'. As Carey Mulligan's character Maud Watts (rightly) says, "I'm worth no more, no less, than you".This film brought forth so many emotions, and the horrendous treatment these brave women received was hard to watch. Yet through it all their spirits were strong and they never gave up. A stellar cast with stellar acting performances. The historical detail and cinematography was excellent. Very authentic. A film that touches your heart.

The story of the Suffragette Movement and the right for the female vote is a fascinating and quite important part of history that is very much overlooked in film and still holds much relevance today.A large part as to why is the potential problems with how a film would portray it. Despite being really interesting, it is difficult to get the portrayal the Suffragette Movement and the right for the female vote spot on. There is always the danger of heavy-handedness, being too careful, being one-dimensional and being too cold or sentimentalised.'Suffragette' to me was a compelling film that did more right than it did wrong, but at the same time it does not escape a few of the traps that portraying this subject poses. It is a brave and worthy attempt though, and even though the finished product is flawed 'Suffragette' gets a lot of applause and respect from me for trying.It doesn't escape the trap of being heavy-handed, with some of the build ups overdone, occasional preachiness in the writing and parts in the music score intrusively orchestrated. While the brutality most likely did happen and it brings a darkness that stops the film from being too much of one tone, parts did jar like with the laundry boss, which agreed did feel like they belonged in another film.Nor does it escape portraying its characters in a stock and one-dimensional way. Did feel a lot for the women, and found myself inspired by their cause and rooting for them even if they did go the wrong way about it in parts of the film and in history. However, especially the boss and with the sole exception of Steed, the male characters are stock and unsympathetically drawn, found myself really infuriated by Sonny's actions as well and found him generally a placid personality. There are a few real life characters intersected here, which was interesting but appeared too briefly, while they made an impression David Lloyd George and Emmeline Pankhurst were reduced to cameo roles.However, it is very handsomely and evocatively mounted in period detail, being suitably naturalistic and sombre. The cinematography, with the hand-held technique, has been criticised for being excessive and lacking focus, it didn't bother me that much and thought it gave a real and appropriate sense of frenzy, claustrophobia and fear. Apart from the odd intrusive part, the music is rousing yet understated. Much of the direction gives clarity to the story and a sense of pace and the film always looks great.Much of the writing is fine too, some heavy-handedness here as well as parts that are a bit emotionally cold and too careful but the main and familiar events are handled powerfully, sincerely and thoughtfully. The storytelling, a vast majority of the time, is spirit-rousing, heart-stopping, moving and inspiring, the ending was really quite powerful.Carey Mulligan is particularly magnificent of the uniformly impressive cast, and Brendan Gleeson and Anne-Marie Duff are not far behind. Meryl Streep's appearance is brief but very memorable, while Helena Bonham Carter brings a wonderful feistiness to the ringleader of the group. Ben Whishaw, on the other hand, is a little dull as Sonny, though the way the character is written deserves a large part of the blame here, and the laundry boss character is too much of a stock pantomime villain-like character.Overall, brave, worthy and largely successful if flawed telling of a fascinating, important and relevant piece of history, that has been overlooked. 7/10 Bethany Cox