Move over Meryl, your Iron Lady has corroded, consigned to the rust bucket of history, superseded by the steel orchid, Aung San Suu Kyi as portrayed by Micelle Yeoh in Luc Besson’s compelling biopic THE LADY.
Meryl manufactured Margaret from make-up and method, Michelle conjures Suu from the soul in an understated, supremely serene performance, a still pond with astonishing depth and display of dignity that is breathtaking.
Pic opens with so young Suu being told tales of yore by her father, who hopes to restore national democracy in Burma, recently emancipated from the yoke of British colonialism.
Dad is assassinated and the new constitutional government is rent by political and ethnic upheaval, resulting in military coup in 1962. Suu studies politics, philosophy and economics at Oxford and marries Brit academic Michael Aris and they have two sons.
In 1988, Suu is summoned to her mothers’ side after she suffers a stroke. She witnesses first hand her homeland’s humongous human rights violations and is persuaded to run as opposition leader.
The junta, in a puzzling show of political pragmatism and pagan superstition, decide house arrest is preferable to martyrdom for this upstart usurper, and so her incarceration begins, simultaneous with her incarnation as doyen of democracy for blighted Burma.
More like the Mahatma or Mandela than Maggie, Suu risks being saddled with saintliness, but the spirit depicted here is human, not supernatural, albeit a spirit of great stoicism.
Tormented by the torture and tyranny endured by her nation, she is torn between family and country, the ideal of democracy over duty to domesticity.
THE LADY is a beautifully realised film with an outstanding central performance solidly supported by David Thewlis as Michael Aris (and Jonathon Woodhouse as his twin brother Anthony).
Rebecca Frayn’s screenplay harks to her documentary roots but has the requisite dramatic drive to make this complex story highly engaging with a depth charge of great emotion.
Luc Besson, best known for his wildly entertaining action films, helms his most mature work so far, settling on subtlety rather than bombast. He’s flanked by regular collaborators cinematographer Thierry Arbogast and composer Eric Serra.
The story of THE LADY is far from over. Her battle for a democratic Burma is still being waged and her indomitable presence keeps the promise percolating. See this film and heed her plea “Please, use your freedom to promote ours.”
Tags: THE LADY, Aung San Suu Kyi, Luc Besson, Michelle Yeoh. David Thewlis, Johnathon Woodhouse, Rebecca Frayn, Thierry Arbogast, Eric Serra, Sydney Arts Guide, Richard Cotter