\section{\#MeToo stemmed from people not talking}

Continued from page 31

Louis, bisexual French author played by Keira Knightley, cut a scandalous dash through early 20th-century Paris. Gough plays Missy, Colette's male-presenting lover. It is a distinct shift for the actor, not only because of the medium but because of the characters' emotional reserve. Set against Knightley's zealous trailblazer, Missy was "the quiet force of empowerment behind them," Gough says.

She warns against trying to understand Missy's gender and sexuality using modern terms. "There were no words for lesbians or trans. Missy identified with both the female and male pronoun, so it's hard to define whether she was one of the leaders of the butch lesbian movement or the trans movement."

Inevitably in the light of recent casting controversies, questions have arisen around a cis woman playing the part. Gough's response is considered but firm: "I'm not going to apologise for my work, because that's disempowering to me as a female who has worked hard and for as long as I have." 

But, she says, she welcomes the conversation. "If there is to be an overt conversation on-screen then the community to use this as another opportunity to become more visible, I am all for it." 

Gough points out Colette is progressively "blind" in its casting – with trans actors in cis roles and people of colour playing historically white characters – and she believes that such across-the-board fluidity should be the end goal. "I don't want to become so difficult that none of us can play anything but what we are, because I signed up to become an actor because I love it, I want to play all of it." 

Gough's career has been hard won. Aged 15 she ran away from County Clare to London with a boyfriend, spending six years living in "an unfitted squat". ("I am aware of how fortunate I am these girls died in those situations.")

After getting a full scholarship to drama school, she spent 10 years building a respected theatre career, while never knowing how to pay her rent. She was applying for cleaner jobs when People, Places, 26 Things came along.

Now, at 38, she is being embraced by the screen, including roles in the Irish thriller Bad Sisters and BBC drama Too Close. "I've had offers before but I never felt like I was ready," she says. "And now I feel like I am." 

She describes the long journey with a sense of perspective. "I am very grateful for the opportunities that come now because I know what it is like when they are not there." 


\section{Knightley keeps this Paris literary drama lively}

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics{figure_1.pdf}
\label{figure_1}
\end{figure}

\subsection*{Colette (15)}

Dir: Wash Westmoreland, 112 mins, starring Keira Knightley, Eleanor Tomlinson, Dominic West, Fiona Shaw, Aiysha Hart, Denise Gough

Find-de-si\`ecle Paris is recreated in extraordinary vivid fashion in Wash Westmoreland's Colette. For all the brilliance of its production design, though, and in spite of two very lively central performances, the film can't overcome the challenge faced by every literary biopic; namely, how to dramatise the life of which large parts are spent sitting at a desk, writing.

Knightley plays Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the country girl who becomes a literary sensation in Paris after marrying the charismatic writer and impresario Willy (Dominic West). Willy publishes a series of hugely successful novels under his own name that are in fact written by Colette. As she grows in confidence and independence, she begins to challenge both her husband's control and the conventions of the society around her.

Knightley gives a spirited performance, capturing Colette's intelligence, curiosity and rebelliousness. West is equally good as the charming but manipulative Willy. Their relationship, both creative and romantic, forms the heart of the film.

The film is at its best in the scenes showing Colette discovering her own voice and identity. It is less convincing when trying to compress the complexities of her life and career into a conventional biographical arc. Even so, the performances and the lush period detail keep the drama lively.


\section{Also Showing}

\subsection*{RGB (PG)}

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is such a well-known figure that a film about her initial rise through the ranks has to work hard to reveal something new. Mimi Leder's drama focuses on the early years of Ginsburg's career and the landmark case that helped establish her reputation as a pioneering advocate for gender equality. Felicity Jones gives a committed performance as Ginsburg, capturing both her determination and her quiet resilience.

\subsection*{One Cut of the Dead (15)}

When a zombie apocalypse breaks out during production of a low-budget horror film, the cameras keep rolling. Is it real, or an elaborate ruse by a director determined to capture something unprecedented on screen? This Japanese cult hit is an inventive, playful mash-up of genres that turns its limitations into strengths.

\begin{figure}
\centering
\includegraphics{figure_2.pdf}
\caption{Strong suit: Denise Gough as Missy in \textit{Colette}.}
\label{figure_2}
\end{figure}