If you ever wondered what it's like to be a blossoming politician, here's your ticket to see the many life fragments of one of the most influential women of the 20th century, who set out to do a man's job successfully in a world where women weren't the norm.
It starts off with Margaret (Meryl Streep) going shopping for a bottle of milk. She is completely unrecognizable to the people and seems to have been forgotten by all those that she served in her position as the head of the country. Bombings are shown on the television and Margaret has continuous hallucinations of her husband Denis (Jim Broadbent) commenting on her past and current status in the country as well as what's going on in the world presently. Frail and alone, Margaret drifts away into the memories of her humble beginnings in politics and the constant inconsideration she faced at the hands of the opposite sex while running for office. She remembers all those that have helped her in the past and the many traumatic and daunting experiences she had to live through while being incumbent. Through all the hardships and distress she faced during her life in and out of office, she relied heavily on her intuition and gut instinct in order to do what was right for her country. She saw Britain as a well oiled machine that needed all its citizens to contribute to the community if they were to stay balanced economically. People however, protested about the taxes being at the same level for both the wealthy and the poor but she never let up on her policy and wouldn't let the country's lower class become apathetic towards securing jobs and paying their dues for the country that keeps a roof over their heads. Margaret was elected for a reason and she was determined to guide the country to prosperity and its people to productivity. But in the end you start to question whether her powerful position and the path she took to get there, was worth more than her family and all the trouble she cast upon herself despite thinking of the country's welfare.
Although the film was filled with many great montages and powerful storytelling qualities, the superb acting of Meryl Streep was especially outstanding and nothing short of Oscar-winning. Not only did she have to play one of the most powerful women of the 20th century, which is already daunting in itself, but she also had to switch her mindset from period to period because she played Margaret during her reign as prime minister and many years after her withdrawal from politics. Not many actresses have the experience to fill those shoes, but Meryl handled her portrayal of Margaret with great finesse and meticulous attention to details. Shifting from different time periods in a character's life, especially if it's an important historical figure, can seem nerve-racking and very difficult to achieve to perfection but it proved to be an attainable goal for the golden lady of the silver screen. This vehicle of a film ultimately rested on Ms. Streep's shoulders and the final result was indeed triumphant.
As many of the films released in the 2011 awards season which involved plots about females as the main protagonists, this film could be put up on the same shelf as the rest for achieving a frame of mind that other women would be happy about. The message of this film was obviously to remind women that their life is worth more than just raising children and standing at the kitchen counter all day. Margaret's gumption and spirit towards building up and developing her political career is more than just admirable because she not only wanted to do things her way but also wanted to inspire and show other women that it is possible to take charge and earn job positions that otherwise would be filled by men. It took sacrifice for her to make it to the top and she had to leave her children and husband behind for long periods of time while tirelessly working to secure Britain's safety from attacking enemies, and providing a stable economic model for the entire country. Not many women have the guts and wit to balance such demanding careers, and it takes a substantial amount of dedication to see your aspirations turn into reality. Feeble and lonely in her later years, Margaret still keeps up her iron mindset and doesn't give up on life although throughout the film it was very difficult for her to let go of her late husband Denis and his constant reminders of how strong she's been despite the constant critique from the male majority of politicians who didn't see her potential of becoming one of the greatest politicians of all time. But in the end you realize that although she has lost valuable time with her family, she still did what she thought was right for her country and the countries that surrounded it. She was a true leader and has to be proud of her perseverance in the field she chose to pursue while sincerely giving the biggest possible amount of her love and care to the people who she loved most of all.
A stunning portrait of one of the world's most brave and honorable women, who gave everything she had to get to where she should be. Courage and persistence will take you a long way no matter what your goals are, but it all truly come down to the amount of determination and will that you have to hone your skills and realize your true weight in gold. Words can't ever bring you down, and your beliefs and actions will pave the road to your long-awaited dreams. Meryl Streep also possesses the same kind of grit that Margaret Thatcher carried while in office, and this is the quality that I think made her perfect for this once in a lifetime role.
No comments:
Post a Comment