The Lady

French action auteur Luc Besson's biopic stars Michelle Yeoh as Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma's (now Myanmar) iconic freedom fighter, also known as South Asia's “steel orchid.” Back in 1947, Suu Kyi's idyllic childhood was shattered when her beloved father, General Aung San—who negotiated Burma's independence—was assassinated in Rangoon while planning the formation of a new government, thereby becoming a martyr to the pro-democracy movement. Suu Kyi moved to England, where she later married Oxford history professor Michael Aris (David Thewlis) and became the mother of two boys. But in 1988, when her mother is dying, Suu Kyi returns home, where she's approached to become the symbolic head of the non-violent Burmese pro-democracy faction, opposing the oppressive military junta headed by brutal General Ne Win (Htun Lin). Duty-bound to fulfill her father's wishes, she humbly agrees, only to find herself confined under restrictive house arrest from 1989 to 2010, stoically enduring a painful separation from her young sons and devoted husband, who successfully spearheads a diplomatic movement to award Suu Kyi the Nobel Peace Prize but also endures a solitary struggle with terminal prostate cancer. Embodying Aung San Suu Kyi with courage, dignity and authority, Malaysia's multilingual Yeoh recalls meeting “The Lady” herself, who—when she heard about the film—said, “Use your freedom to promote ours.” Recommended. [Note: DVD/Blu-ray extras include a “making-of” featurette (28 min.), and trailers. Bottom line: a solid extras package for a fine bio-pic.] (S. Granger)