Directed by Haifaa Al-Mansour (Wadjda) and starring Elle Fanning (Super 8; Maleficent; We Bought a Zoo; The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), Douglas Booth (The Riot Club; Jupiter Ascending; Noah; Romeo & Juliet), Tom Sturridge (Journey's End; The Boat that Rocked; song to Song; Far from the Madding Crowd), Bel Powley (The Diary of a Teenage Girl; a Royal Night Out), Maisie Williams (Early Man; and tv series including Game of Thrones & Doctor Who) and Ben Hardy (Bohemian Rhapsody; X-Men: Apocalypse).
Drama, 120 mins, 12+
Set in the early 19th century, 16 year-old Mary Wollstonecraft-Godwin (Elle Fanning) lives in London and helps her father in his bookshop. She reads books, including literary classics, and is fascinated by ghost stories. She gets on very well with her step-sister Claire Clairmont (Bel Powley). Her father send her to Scotland to stay with friends to try to "cure" her of her fascination with ghost stories, but Claire feigned sickness to lure her back.
While in Scotland she came across 21 year-old Percy Shelley (Douglas Booth) at a poetry reading; he followed her back to London and became her father's assistant to be closer to her. She becomes fascinated with Percy and the family discover he is married; when confronted, he explains that he and his wife live apart and he supports his child. Shortly afterwards, she moves in with Percy, along with Claire too, and together they live a carefree and bohemian lifestyle.
During a theatre opening they bump into Lord Byron (Tom Sturridge), following which Claire strikes up a relationship with him; this then leads to Percy, Mary and Claire being invited to Lord Byron's home in Geneva where they also meet up with John Polidori (Ben Hardy). Still continuing their bohemian and partying lifestyle which is without committment and is at times tempestuous. Over their time there, Lord Byron challenges his guests to a writing contest which later would result in Mary Shelley's literary masterpiece, Frankenstein.
The film explores many issues, from the interpretation of the novel and how many of Mary's experiences helped shape her views and outlook and became central to its storyline and sub-plots, to issues of family values, literary levels, women's role in society, being lonely, etc.
Elle Fanning puts in a commanding performance and has confirmed that her days as a child actor have helped shape her career. She is ably abetted by Bel Powley and Douglas Booth; however, Ben Hardy's Lord Byron does appear to be a bit over the top. The wardrobe and cinematography brilliantly combine to create the gothic setting.
A must-see, particularly for those interested in the storylines behind classical literature; "Mary Shelley" also stands alone as a great drama with a 200 year-old setting.
