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Parents' Guide to

Suffragette

By Betsy Bozdech, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Eye-opening drama about equality raises big questions.

Movie PG-13 2015 106 minutes
Suffragette Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

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age 14+

Based on 6 parent reviews

Oliver T.
Oliver T. Adult
August 29, 2023
age 13+
This film portrayed the realities of a woman's life in the early twentieth century. Although, there are a few disturbing and violent scenes such as women being trampled by police, a woman being killed by a horse, and a scene of force-feeding. There is also a part for about ten seconds where a young girl gets sexually abused by an older man.

This title has:

Educational value
Great messages
Too much violence
Too much sex
Too much swearing
Huruma
Huruma Parent of 12 and 16-year-old
January 25, 2022
age 15+

Important Reminder

Very good telling of the struggle and violence women had to undergo to gain rights we now take for granted. Sad that there was only one good man in evidence.
See all 6 parent reviews

What's the Story?

Life isn't easy for SUFFRAGETTE Maud Watts (Carey Mulligan) in 1912 London. Like her mother before her, she toils in a hot, dangerous commercial laundry, dodging both industrial accidents and a lascivious employer. She has an affectionate husband, Sonny (Ben Whishaw), and a sweet little boy, George (Adam Michael Dodd), but she can't help feeling that life could -- and perhaps should -- have more to offer. Maud is increasingly drawn to a group of outspoken suffragettes -- including her co-worker Violet (Anne-Marie Duff), independent pharmacist Edith Ellyn (Helena Bonham Carter), and zealous Emily (Natalie Press). Inspired by the words and deeds of suffragette No. 1 Emmeline Pankhurst (Meryl Streep), the women find themselves doing increasingly daring, violent things to draw attention to their passion for women's equality and right to vote. But how much will Maud have to sacrifice for the cause?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (6 ):
Kids say (9 ):

This movie paints an eye-opening picture of what life was like for women before the actions of those like Maud and her friends turned the tide toward equality. It's unfathomable to realize that, in addition to being denied the vote entirely until 1918, British women also didn't have any legal rights over their children until the mid-1920s (a fact that underlines one of the film's most agonizing scenes). The desperation that drove these women is clear, and it's impossible not to sympathize with them and applaud their convictions.

But while it's understandable that Mrs. Pankhurst and her disciples felt driven to militant extremes -- characters say repeatedly that no one listened to them when they tried more peaceful methods -- the fact that their approach boils down to "vandalism, violence, martyrdom, and giving up literally everything in your life is worth it for the right cause" is tricky. More than 100 years down the line, we have the historical perspective to understand that, in this case, making change required rocking the boat, hard. But violent civil disobedience and total self-sacrifice aren't always the right answers, a fact that hopefully won't be lost on those watching Suffragette.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about Suffragette's messages. Do you agree with the characters that militant "civil disobedience" had become their only option? Does that mean their tactics would be effective for other groups fighting for a cause? How does historical perspective frame the way we look at their actions today?

  • How did the movie's violent moments make you feel? Were they more or less upsetting than what you might see in a thriller or action movie? Why? Why does context affect the way we feel about media violence?

  • Do you agree with Maude's choices? What about those of her friends? How were their lives different than those of women in other social classes? How did that affect their actions? What do you think you'd have done in their place?

  • What did the movie teach you about what it was like to be a woman in the early 1900s? How did gender roles define women's lives? What do today's mothers, wives, daughters, and sisters have in common with the suffragettes? And how are things different?

  • How do the characters in Suffragette demonstrate courage and integrity? Why are these important character strengths?

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