Belle - B+

Rated PG, 105 minutes

Fact-based period drama "Belle" a compelling look at treatment of race and gender

The affecting, relevant new period British drama "Belle" is inspired by the story behind an actual painting. Thought-provoking and well-acted, it's a memorable look at the treatment of women and minorities in England a few hundred years ago. Dido Belle (newcomer and British actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw), the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of a Royal Navy officer, is brought to England by her father and left in the care of his uncle, Lord Mansfield and his wife (Tom Wilkinson and Emily Watson). Though the social mores of the time make her an outsider, Dido is raised by Mansfield as an aristocrat alongside her cousin Elizabeth (Sarah Gadon). Dido's burgeoning relationships with local men bring her controversy, not to mention an important slavery case that her uncle is overseeing. Handsomely photographed and pertinent regardless of the age it's set in, "Belle" touches on issues we've seen before, though from a different perspective, an aristrocratic one, though regardless of how Belle was raised, we see there were issues with minorities even back then. Newcomer Mbatha-Raw shines in a breakout turn as Belle, in a performance that's shaded with heartbreak and emotion that's beyond surface level (she longs to be a different color to be treated better) and more memorable than her fellow veteran actors Wilkinson, Watson and Miranda Richardson, all who have acted in a movie or two over the years. "Belle" is an important film with an an important message, though it doesn't try to be too preachy. As with many period dramas, it's a slow and talky for some people's taste who enjoy all the blood and action, but "Belle" is a film to be seen and enjoyed. Worth a look.

Wes's Grade: B+