Fridae

There seems to be a rash of biopics being released of late, but unfortunately The Lady sits firmly in the middle of the pack – Michelle Yeoh puts forth an excellent performance as Aung San Suu Kyi but this is a film that is rife with little niggling problems, from the score to the underdeveloped storyline to the excessive length of the movie.

One of the biggest issues with The Lady is that it takes so long to cover what is essentially a very superficial telling of Aung San Suu Kyi's life and political career. There's no depth to the story at all, and at times it seems that her long years of suffering in isolation is reduced to nothing more than a retreat in a holiday villa. Granted the focus is more on the love story between Aung San Suu Kyi and her husband Michael Aris, but for a movie that runs for over two hours, it just feels like a wasted opportunity for a more complete characterisation of the Burmese heroine.

It's also an extremely black-and-white movie, where the good guys all seem to be angelic and pure, and the generals unintentionally hilarious cardboard villains that come complete with "evil" music. Eventually I was expecting the Imperial March from Star Wars to suddenly burst forth from the speakers whenever the generals showed up.

However, it must be said that Michelle Yeoh is really impressive as Aung San Suu Kyi, and she bears such an uncanny resemblance to the real deal that she can at times be mistaken for the actual person. This is not limited to just the physical appearance, but even in her gestures and general behaviour. It's impressive to note that Yeoh manages to disappear into the role without the help of (much) makeup. However, there's a tendency for the movie to descend into melodrama, and while these hyperbolic sequences allow Michelle Yeoh to showcase her acting chops, they do come across as a little too contrived.

Much like The Iron Lady, Michelle Yeoh's performance is the strongest aspect of the film, but unfortunately the vehicle she is placed in is significantly less impressive. One could only imagine how much better the film could have been given stronger material to work with.