DVD Review: The Lady (+trailer)

History is full of inspirational figures who have put country above self.

People like Martin Luther King, Gandhi and Nelson Mandela are just a selection and we can readily add the name of Burmese freedom advocate Aung San Suu Kyi.

Born the only daughter of Aung San, considered to be the father of modern-day Burma, Suu Kyi was destined to help lead her people to democracy.

The Lady tells her story, from the moment her father was assassinated when she was a child to her later years as a mother and wife in Oxford, England.

With an ailing mother in Burma, Suu Kyi (Michelle Yeoh) returned home to find chaos in the streets.

With the military rulers cracking down on student protests, Suu Kyi soon found herself a beacon of hope for democracy supporters.

Despite having husband Michael Aris (David Thewlis) and sons Kim and Alexander back home, Suu Kyi found it impossible to leave her homeland.

The Lady is the story of her fight on two fronts - to save her country and to maintain her family life against the great odds put before her by the military rulers.

Suu Kyi was to spend 15 years under house arrest in Rangoon with limited outside contact and watched from afar as her husband died of cancer.

There is no doubt Suu Kyi is a remarkable woman and her story is amazing.

The Lady

(R13) Roadshow Entertainment

Rating: 3.5 / 5 Stars