Belle

A superbly plum role inhabited gloriously by Gugu Mbatha-Raw.

Belle's lavish visuals and smart dialogue are as finely tooled as in an A-list Jane Austen epic. But aside from the issue of a woman's subjugation, the dramatic stakes are raised...

As purely enjoyable as it is important, Belle has opened the door to a new era that can only get better from here.

Belle has a great lead performance from a Black actress in a Black woman director's film of a Black woman's script about a Black woman in European history (who wasn't a slave): an opportunity that doesn't come very often for audiences.

While indignant in its stance, the film is never preachy, instead presenting a strong sense of morality that is difficult to ignore with-out resorting to unnecessary emotional histrionics, focussing instead on the characters.