This didn't have to be such a bad movie. The basics are there.
According to google the first black judge in the UK was 2004. Yet the judge in this movie set in the 1920s, all 3 seconds of him, is black. Black and south asian (if even from Africa) immigration didn't happen until the 1950s at the earliest yet the policewoman (she is good in the role but...) is South Asian, Rose's boyfriend is black and two of Rose's friends (out of 4) are also Windrush which is very anachronistic. And maybe not even that as Littlehampton, Sussex is possibly not even that diverse now in 2024 (I have not been there for a long time). There is nothing wrong with these actors of course, some of them are pretty good at their craft, but casting them in 1920s Littlehampton is wrong. Maybe, just maybe, Thea of Africa might have been able to cast the boyfriend of the Irish Rose as black or even one of the friends as black. But to cast so many as black in a town that would have been pretty close to 100% white at the time? What is the agenda here?
In addition does feminism have to be so anti-male? All of the male characters, except the black boyfriend of Rose, were unlikeable and cartoonish. The most cartoonish of all was the father of Edith (Timothy Spall). All of the cartoonish male characters were also white and none of the black characters, male or female, were cartoonish as if that needed mentioning.
For those reasons alone the movie is not even worth 1 star out of 5. But in addition it's actually not that good at all even if you removed the anachronistic casting. The two main characters are Irish Rose and the christian Edith (both white) and they are also very stereotypical characters (well until 5 minutes from the end anyway). Yes Christianity gets a dissing as well, Via Edith of course who is very christian but the christian priest who gets 40 seconds or so is a complete idiot too, of course.
It's also very doubtful that it is even close to the actual story that it is based on, supposedly a true one (see above). And the only good thing about this movie was the part in the script when Irish Rose told the policewoman that she could tell that she was a woman and there was no need to state it. Hear, hear. But the bigger question here is why are white people being removed from the past in British movies based in Britain and funded and produced by Britons? And this is just the beginning, give it another 10 years and there may just be zero white actors who can make a living from acting in Britain.
So the score is 0/5 for this movie and it is probably only outdone by that Scandinavian troll movie of about 6 years ago that ended by being an advertisement for transgender trolls. Complete with transgender troll penises.
We also need to start, or continue, talking about the racist agenda that is at hand right now directed from the top end of town. Against white people. That's not to say that White Christians are the only ones under attack as clearly we white atheists are as well. And Ashkenazi Jews are also under attack as well albeit not (seemingly, correct me if I’m wrong) so far in this industry. For sure identify the heirarchy you lefties but we're not all Pfizer or Blackrock shareholders. BTW that's who's paying for your ‘activism’ so maybe you are? But are Blackrock and Pfizer responsible for this shitshow? No, there wasn't one mention of either's products as far as I could make out. But there's no black directors or funders here either, it's supposedly our own doing this to those of us who are white. White is also something that we've been able to ignore for at least half a century previously. Not anymore.
Who are they? The two companies credited for the movie are Blueprint Pictures and South of the River Pictures. Blueprint Pictures is controlled by Graham Neil Broadbent and Peter John Joseph Czernin, Diarmuid Brendan McKeown is also involved. South of the River pictures is controlled by Edward Alexander Maccallum Sinclair and Sarah Caroline Sinclair. Christopher John Fry, Mark Jonathan Devereux and Thomas Layton Carver are also involved. And of course Thea Sharrock is the Director and and Jonny Sweet the writer. Olivia Colman who is one of the actors in the movie is also involved and Jo Wallett is the final name to note. I havn't checked but I suspect that they are all white. No Blacks or Irish in the production ranks thank you very much. (edit: Sarah Caroline Sinclair and Olivia Colman are two names for the same woman).
Finally it is worth mentioning, and maybe very relevant, that Thea the director's husband is committed to Sustainable Theatre Making whatever the fuck that is. One guy on a stage Paul? Is the Stage just a bit of dirt? The audience rode in on cycles from no further than 800 metres away? The burgers are made of impossible "meat" flown in from California on sustainable planes? The wine is from an organic Sussex vineyard that returns a pence on the pound every 10 years?
Honestly FFS.
Didn’t you know, Anne Boleyn was a black woman?
My friend's son, had success first as a child actor, then has had parts in various TV and films. Now, however, being a white hetro male, there are no parts, as casting is usually for black or asian actors. TV ads also, have a huge number of mixed race families, as though this is the norm, which it isn't.