A group of women, a part of the Women's Liberation Movement, create a plan in order to disrupt the 1970 Miss World beauty competition in London.
It's been impossible to miss the change in direction of Hollywood films as of late. Women are getting more traction in film. Whether it be directing (Wonder Woman, Little Women, Portrait of a Lady on Fire), acting in the lead (The Old Guard, The Kitchen, Birds of Prey, Underwater), biopics (Radioactive, I Am Woman, Hustlers, Respect) or genderbending existing properties (Ocean's 8, What Men Want, Ghostbusters, The Hustle), the last couple of years has been churning out pro-women slogan left, right, and centre, but so many of them have been doing it wrong.
There has been a common theme of lashing out at men. I'm not about to spout a whole lot of #NotAllMen, but there is a way to properly tackle the topic of female empowerment; in a transparent and unbiased fashion. Misbehaviour is the first film that has really hit those marks effectively.
Misbehaviour isn't a film that attacks men. This is a film that attacks the behaviour of men, and that subtle difference is what makes this an intriguing and engaging viewing experience. Everybody loves an underdog story, and the female liberation movement has been a long-running uphill battle against the entire system that we all live in.
Except it isn't quite so black and white (excuse the terminology) when it comes to the affected parties protesting the privileged parties. In essence, women are protesting against the way of life of the men who live in their very homes, and that makes this a much more sensitive topic to discuss.
Philippa Lowthorpe shows an impressive amount of finesse in working around the sticky points of the topic, ensuring all sides are covered without ever lecturing or demonizing either side. Misbehaviour's attack on the behaviour promotes personal growth and the understanding that a person with good intentions may unwittingly be oppressing someone, because this film isn't about exposing men to be the villains in another historical episode, purposefully holding back women for their own gain.
This is about men misunderstanding and underestimating the value and abilities of women, and being resistant to change (resistance to change is something that everyone can understand). All this is done while artfully injecting small tidbits of comedy to keep the film feeling light and affirming.
The film, visually, is competently shot, with effective use of framing and zooming in during emotional moments. The era of the time is well demonstrated with some scenes shot through the aspect ratio and resolution of 1970's television, made for the old cathode ray televisions. A tasteful choice, as well, is the decision to not photoshop or over-glamorize the women competing in the show.
The film is about arguably the most beautiful woman in the world, but the audience is allowed to see the women with sullen eyes, smoking, committing crimes, or with crow's feet, and insecurities. The most beautiful women in the world and they all have imperfections and "flaws". Nobody is perfect, and one cannot help but be impressed at how the film tackled every issue while allowing the audience to make up their own mind about who is in the right.
Keira Knightley is the lead, and yet, she is outshined by her supporting cast. Knightley's performances have been providing diminishing returns since her dazzling performance in Colette, and yet her wooden performance works to the advantage of the film, allowing the supporting cast to shine, especially the performance of Jessie Buckley, who absolutely stole the spotlight in every scene, thanks to her infectious attitude and energy.
This is the call to arms that I have been waiting for. A passionate yet level-headed offering of cinematic bliss, that is able to invoke frustration, anger, and disgust at past "allowed" behaviours, without pointing the finger.
A truly intriguing part of history, the story ends with you wanting more; luckily the epilogue does let us know what happened to most of the people involved in the 50 years that have since passed. This is a film that successfully manages to balance comedic, dramatic, and educational elements in a powerful manner that raises the question of a woman's true value. If I had a daughter, this would be the film I would want her to see and be inspired by.
Misbehaviour is in cinemas from December 3, 2020