Suffragette - review

It’s hard to believe that less than 100 years ago women didn’t have the same right as men to vote in England and even today there are some countries where women have only had this right for a short period of time. We’re all aware of the fight of the Suffragettes including the tragic death of Emily Davison and this movie didn’t shy away from telling it.

Carey Mulligan plays Maud Watson, a young mother who along with her husband and most other working class women, spends her days working long and hard shifts in the laundry risking life and limb around the machinery. With a young son to look out for, Maud does her best to keep away from trouble, but when she’s approached by fellow worker Violet about becoming a suffragette and speaking up for women’s rights to vote, she finds herself thrown into the centre of the fight.

As Maud and her fellow suffragettes spend time in jail for their crimes including letter bombs, she finds herself not only fighting for a cause, but also fighting for her marriage and son as her time in jail takes its toll on her family life.

With the cause gaining momentum Maud ends up seeking help and accommodation as her life begins to fall apart, but with the fight as important than ever, she and her fellow suffragettes have no intention of giving up their fight and are determined to win the vote.

Co-starring Helena Bonham Carter, Anne-Marie Duff, Ben Wishaw and with a very brief appearance from Meryl Streep, this movie gave an insight into the length women went to in order to win the basic right to vote.

I found it both interesting and moving to see how fighting for what’s right affected every aspect of life and how passionately the women fought in a fight which they eventually won.