IRON LADY
****
Only watch with a strong heart.
FILM: Yep, I know the name suggests that this is a movie about Margaret Thatcher, and of course it is – but not in the way you expect it to be. This is about someone ageing, but it isn’t just anyone, and that’s exactly the point they’re trying to make. No matter who you are, or what you achieve in life, old age comes at you with a vengeance and even with the best will in the world, there’s not much anyone can do about it.
That’s not to say that this will be everyone’s end of days, but in some instances, with a seeming rise in certain crippling ailments because of the lifestyles we lead, it’s bound to hit a few or someone you know.
We’re not always prepared for these times, not when it strikes us or those dear to us, so a harsher look at ageing, is a good thing. And as a bonus, you get Meryl Streep in one of her searing performances that remind us of her remarkable acting skills. She inhabits the character and the vulnerability of a woman who ruled the world and her countrymen with an iron fist.
But the filmmaker makes his point very early on in the movie as he sends her off to the supermarket where she disappears amongst the shelves and at the counter, like any ageing granny collecting her weekly groceries would. This is perhaps not a story for everyone and yet, it will affect all of our lives.
Special Features: None. – Diane de Beer