★★★☆☆
THIS summer we were treated to the first big-screen outing of the world’s most famous female superhero, a film which served as a long overdue showcase of female empowerment in blockbuster cinema.
Angela Robinson’s eye-opening, stylish period drama traces the creation of the character by psychologist William Moulton Marston while he embarked on a polyamorous relationship with his wife and colleague Elizabeth (Rebecca Hall) and college student-turned-mistress Olive (Bella Heathcote) that would leave them ostracised.
It unfolds the character’s backstory to reveal something altogether more controversial and provocative than we might have expected. It’s a genesis born out of sexual liberation, the quest for truth (including the invention of the lie detector), female strength and bonds (both literal and figurative) that tie people together out of passions forbidden by mid-20th century society.
This story construction feels a little too neat for its own good, although it’s very well performed by the leading trio; Evans captures the simultaneous obsession and sincerity of Marston, Hall compellingly portrays the endlessly conflicted nature of Elizabeth, and Heathcote luminously lights up the screen as the wide-eyed Olive.
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