Streep delivers stellar portrayal in biopic

The eventful, tumultuous career of former English Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher would suggest her fierce, strong-willed personality.

Director Phyllida Lloyd’s biopic The Iron Lady, however, centers on a mentally troubled, aging Thatcher (Meryl Streep) battling grief and a barrage of flashbacks from her career. It’s only in her memories that the audience sees her at her prime; in her own reality, Thatcher is lost to the pain of losing her husband and the events that still haunt her.

The film opens with a shot of a feeble, old woman reaching out for a pint of milk at the grocery store. Viewers watch her struggle to get to the register so she can ask about the milk’s price. If the viewer doesn’t catch on quickly, the everyday scene comes off as irrelevant.

It’s not until she’s inside the house that it becomes clear this frail woman is Thatcher herself. Lloyd sets up the next few scenes as puzzle pieces to the former prime minister’s situation, from her need to be supervised to her hallucinations of her dead husband Denis (Jim Broadbent).

The film shifts from Thatcher’s reality to her flashbacks often and at seemingly random moments. The execution can become too intricate and tiring, taking the viewers further and further from reality as Thatcher speaks to a non-existent Denis and plummets into another flashback. The scenes are a mixed bag, at times conveying personal insights and at others focusing on political events.

The film then delves into Thatcher’s mental and physical decline, juxtaposing it with the rise and fall of her career as prime minister. With Thatcher being the first female prime minister, the film could have fallen victim to an overly feminist tone, but Lloyd thoughtfully steers clear except when necessary.

At the same time, the small details that Lloyd includes cleverly paint a picture of what Thatcher dealt with as a woman. Viewers see a young Thatcher (Alexandra Roach) passionately discussing politics with men and then being laughed at with other ladies present.  Once Thatcher becomes a member of Parliament, Lloyd shows her having to drive away, her kids running after the car as she leaves, exemplifying the struggle to balance her home and work life.

As Thatcher in her prime, Streep delivers a gripping, engaging performance. She commits herself to both versions of Thatcher: the determined leader and the grieving, unstable older woman. The political scenes especially stand out, as Streep delivers lines with a passion and vigor that effectively convey why Thatcher received the nickname the “Iron Lady.”

Lloyd’s depiction of Thatcher, however, doesn’t just herald her accomplishments, The Iron Lady also sheds light on — if only briefly — family issues, governmental struggles and power hunger. The film does not confine itself to perfect historical accuracy, even when portraying major historical events.

When the war against Argentina over the Falkland Islands results in British casualties, for example, Lloyd shows Thatcher’s human, perhaps more feminine side. Streep sits in front of a television watching the damage and tears up, simply stating “I must write to them.”

Lloyd then shows Thatcher sitting at a table, handwriting personal letters to the families of the dead. The film effectively infuses even the most political scenes with the more human side of Thatcher’s personality.

It might be disappointing to some viewers to see Thatcher slightly crumble even after a scalding admonishment from her colleagues, but that was perhaps Lloyd’s intention from the beginning — to paint a different picture from the one most viewers have of Thatcher. It’s this multifaceted approach that makes the film engaging and engrossing even when the scenes feel too jumbled and the action slow.

The Iron Lady takes some risks, especially when it comes to the many scenes with Denis, and does not always flow smoothly. Regardless, the film is an insightful look at the struggles behind becoming the first female prime minister — and what it takes to pick up the pieces afterward.