Suffragette

Considering the lasting social weight of its subject, you wish that Suffragette had as much courage as its protagonists to make an impact.

Instead, this earnest chronicle of the women’s suffrage movement in England during the early 20th century too often plays it safe and straightforward, trivializing the true-life cause despite the efforts of a top-notch cast.

The story focuses on a burgeoning group of feminist factory workers in London who begin to heed the call of suffragette leader Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep) to get “votes for women.” Although Emmeline is imprisoned and rarely seen, her message carries on through working-class foot soldiers such as Maud (Carey Mulligan), whose involvement in meetings led by a local pharmacist (Helena Bonham Carter) cause concern for her husband (Ben Whishaw) and their young son.

Eventually, the marginalized women become fed up with the bureaucratic red tape and turn their nonviolent pleas for equality into militant action, trying more desperate and dangerous measures that begin to overtake the efforts of a detective (Brendan Gleeson) tasked with stopping them.

The eventual outcome of this crusade for civil rights is never in doubt, of course, so the film smartly focuses itself instead on a small segment of the conflict instead of trying to encapsulate everything at once. After all, while their fight against a legacy of oppression is meant to be galvanizing and inspiring, it’s not exactly full of surprises.

Still, the well-intentioned screenplay by Abi Morgan (The Iron Lady) oversimplifies the issue with heroes and villains that are too clear-cut (and usually divided along gender lines, obviously).

As directed by Sarah Gavron (Brick Lane), the period re-creation captures the working-class milieu in London at the time, and Mulligan (Far From the Madding Crowd) leads a strong ensemble cast with a performance that balances strength and vulnerability while generating sympathy. The actors help to smooth out some of the script’s trumped-up tendencies.

Suffragette is a salute to grassroots activism that contains some powerful moments, along with some characters – albeit fictional composites – that deserve the spotlight. However, while the struggle feels specific to its setting, it doesn’t have sufficient thematic resonance to match its urgency, and the result is admirable more for its effort than its execution.

Rated PG-13, 106 minutes.