The Lady

From one of the world's most ambitious craftsmen of large-scale cinematic entertainment comes this sweeping account of a true heroine of our time. In 1988, Aung San Suu Kyi returned to her native Burma from Oxford, where she had lived for many years. Her visit was prompted by news of her mother's deteriorating health, but the country was in an uproar. Burma's military leader, General Ne Win, stepped down, and protestors quickly filled the streets of Naypyidaw to demand democratic reform. Those protestors were beaten and their message suppressed. The charismatic and politically engaged Suu Kyi, whose father was a martyr for Burmese independence, found herself called upon to lead Burma out from under the shadow of military dictatorship as the General Secretary of the newly formed National League for Democracy. In 1990, a general election was held and the NLD won, but Suu Kyi was held under house arrest by the military junta. She remained a prisoner in her own home for most of the next fifteen years. Filmed largely in Thailand and Burma, whose beautiful cities, fecund jungles and diverse cultures fill the screen with dynamic colour and rich detail, The Lady tells the story of Suu Kyi's simultaneous triumph and tragedy. Michelle Yeoh eloquently embodies Suu Kyi's tranquil defiance and wisdom – yet her political struggle is only half of the story. Played with great tenderness by David Thewlis, Michael Aris was Suu Kyi's British husband and tireless advocate, and he is the film's second protagonist. Through the months and years he and Suu Kyi were unable to be see one another, Aris worked to raise awareness of injustice in Burma and campaigned for his wife's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize (which she won, though she was unable to accept it in person), all the while suffering her absence, struggling with his own illness and trying his best to be a good father to their two sons. At once epic and intimate, disturbing and galvanizing, The Lady celebrates the struggle of a people and the difference that a single strong-willed individual can make in the world.” – Toronto International Film FestivalOfficial Trailer