Definitely need to watch some other Terence Davies’ films, and maybe pick up a bio on Thatcher. Also need to stop confusing Terence Davies with Terrence Malick. One can only start The Thin Red Line so many times before remembering they aren’t the same person.

Yesterday I watched two movies about women with passion. One for her country, and the other for her cunt…ry. 

Lewd jokes aside, The Iron Lady and The Deep Blue Sea are very good movies, but for very different reasons. 

The Iron Lady is exactly what you expect it to be, a pretty straightforward bio-pic about Margaret Thatcher, Britain’s first female Prime Minister. The film focuses equally on Thatcher’s private life as it does on her political one, which is not necessarily original, but done so with a symmetrical complexity not usually found in run-of-the-mill big budget bio-pics.

The film does not pander to any one political perspective about Thatcher, so dubbed The Iron Lady due to her involvement in the end of the Cold War. However, it is unwavering in its portrayal of Thatcher as a powerful woman rather than a particularly effective politician; though it acknowledges both her achievements and failures, each aspect of these incidents is exacerbated by the very existence of her gender.

Take from it what you will, but it is a perspective that cannot be ignored. It would be ideal if such a film could be made without the glaring “glass ceiling” allusions, but the fact remains that Thatcher was a politician who needed her ironness to crash through said ceiling. 

Something must also be said about the superb casting, with Meryl Streep leading the way as Thatcher. I was wary when she won the Oscar, wondering if that wasn’t just the annual nod to her greatness, but became convinced after my second viewing of this movie. Despite playing someone significantly older than herself, this role is a nod to the younger self of our generation’s greatest actress, when she was called upon to become much more than just a legend. Some of her recent roles seem to be Meryl Streep AS rather than Meryl Streep BECOMES, but such an opinion will be shed after watching this movie. 

Also, a shout-out to the always lovable Jim Broadbent as Thatcher’s husband, Denis, and to Alexandra Roach and Harry Lloyd, who play the younger versions of the Prime Minister and Her Spouse. They were lovely and oh-so-European, a far cry from the too-beautiful actors in Hollywood often called upon to play those powerful in nature, but average in appearance. 

The Deep Blue Sea is a stunning portrayal of passion that can destroy the self, rather than a passion that can destroy nations. A beautiful British woman named Hester, played by the forgettably stunning Rachel Weisz, discovers passion in an affair with a young RAF veteran, played by Tom Hiddleston. She discovers what is lacking in her marriage with an older judge in her sordid affair with Freddie, who brings her to life with his touch, and almost to death with his indifference. 

The film revolves around Hester’s suicide attempt after Freddie forgets her birthday, and the resulting reflection on her need for passion rather than security. Her husband is neither abusive nor cruel, but merely safe and unaffected by powers of the flesh. Hester discovers she cannot live with complacency, instead seeking the desire for a want so strong as to overpower any lack of return. 

To say more would be to give away much of the film, but it is a truly compelling examination of desire. It boldly acknowledges that which many films do not, which is that the desire for desire itself is often the true pursuit of any one thing. To want something is often better than to have something, and this movie is all about the want. There are no haves in The Deep Blue, only have nots. 

The film itself is absolutely stunning in all regards, from the cinematography to the costumes. Hester attempts suicide in the beginning of the film by taking pills and turning on the gas in her cozy flat, the latter of which is portrayed by a slight hazing of the the screen.  Though the gas is cleared as she is revived, the rest of the film takes on this hazy quality that reminds viewers you are in the emotional fog along with Hester. Just as Hester chooses to attempt suicide, she chooses to see life through delusions that she knows are unrealistic. Despite being aware of this fact, she nonetheless prefers the haze, which will inevitably kill her soul if she doesn’t turn it off.

The movie definitely spoke to me on this level, as I’ve recently been contemplating my desire for desire over my desire to end desire and thus have something I can desire. That mouthful of grammatically incorrect reflection is basically to say that I want to not want what I don’t have, but instead continue to want what I do have. At this point, my life most resembles that of Hester’s, when in reality, I would like to be the ongoing type like Margaret Thatcher. In The Iron Lady, Thatcher talks to a doctor about what she’s feeling, and how she would rather be asked what she’s thinking.  Meant to portray Thatcher as a somewhat unfeeling woman, I can’t help but to think that there’s something in that sentiment. 

Where The Deep Blue Sea feels, The Iron Lady thinks. Both serve their purpose, but are best not watched on the same day when you’re in the mood to entirely feel or think.