'Belle' Movie Review, Trailer Stars Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Tom Wilkinson Movies for Grownups

' Belle' Beauty in a Beastly Time

This true-life story tackles human bondage from a softer angle than ' 12 Years a Slave ' but it' s every bit as compelling

Rating: PG Running Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes Stars: Sarah Gadon, Matthew Goode, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Sam Reid, Miranda Richardson, Emily Watson, Tom Wilkinson Director: Amma Asante Movie review begins beneath the video trailer. , the studio that brought us last year's award-winning , bookends that release with this based-on-a-true-story film about the illegitimate daughter of a slave who winds up being raised by aristocrats in Georgian England. For those who found 12 Years too brutal and too dark, Belle offers a stark contrast: Yes, it's an examination of race and rights, but it's also a -like costume drama, rich in romance, history and sumptuous imagery. Courtesy Fox Searchlight Gugu Mbatha-Raw and Sarah Gadon, "sisters" in Amma Asante's "Belle." Director (2004's ) and writer ( dramatize the life of the biracial Dido Elizabeth Belle, born in 1761 and raised in the English home of one Lord Mansfield. (Belle is played by the mesmerizing , soon to attract the sort of fawning attention currently being heaped on .) We meet Belle at age 6, after her mother has died and her father, a Royal Navy captain named Sir John Lindsay (), shows up to claim her as his child. Captain Lindsay takes the young girl to the Hampstead home of his aunt and uncle, Lady and Lord Mansfield ( and , both wonderful), and begs them to raise her proudly as his heir. Already a member of the household is Captain Lindsay's young niece, Elizabeth Murray (the luminous Sarah Gadon of ). Lord Mansfield, who is also the chief justice of England's highest court, agrees to the arrangement, which turns out to be separate but (un)equal: Though Belle and Elizabeth forge a deep sisterly bond, the former is not permitted to dine with the family when guests are present.

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Tweet This! Follow Meg Grant YouTube: See reviews and trailers at The situation gets further tangled when Captain Lindsay is killed in the line of duty and Belle inherits his fortune. By then Belle and Elizabeth are of marriageable age, and Elizabeth — lacking means of her own — must find a suitor of equal or better standing, Enter Lady Ashford ( of ), whose role is to prove the film's point that Britain's upper crust of the time prized skin color even above wealth: She openly encourages her favorite son to pursue Elizabeth over Belle. Meanwhile, Lord Mansfield is about to issue a ruling in the important Zong trial, brought by insurers who have made a claim against a slave ship for dumping infirm African slaves. Belle, keenly interested in a legal matter that could lead to the abolition of slavery in Britain, finds companionship in the local vicar's son, John Davinier (, reeking sex appeal), a and aspiring attorney. Their romance brings the story full circle. Belle succeeds by offering a little of everything for everyone. As authentic and moving a slave drama as 12 Years, it's also beautifully shot — and, for those addicts who just can't get enough of Albion, rich in period detail. The slice of history examined here is nuanced, and the tension between Reid and Mbatha-Raw brings the love story to a satisfying sizzle. is West Coast Editor of AARP The Magazine.

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