We had one film release this past weekend with the potential for Oscar nominations.

Suffragette

As women struggled for the right to vote in England, they were met with violence and repudiation before taking up arms against their oppressors. Suffragette is a picture that demands attention for the light it brings to a dark time of the women’s suffrage movement.

Written and helmed by women (Shame and The Iron Lady scribe Abi Morgan, and documentary filmmaker Sarah Gavron), the film stars Oscar nominees Carey Mulligan and Helena Bonham-Carter, and three-time Oscar winner Meryl Streep. Praised for its subject matter, the film has earned a solid response from critics, which will give it a bit of legs when it comes to Oscar season.

It isn’t the unqualified success many expected it to be, but even without the broad support of critics, Academy members could still turn out in droves to vote for the film, an important one. Even in a worst case scenario, the film will still earn consideration for Best Actress for Carey Mulligan and Bonham Carter could also benefit with a Best Supporting Actress nomination. The film will also compete heavily in Best Production Design and Best Costume Design categories. If it isn’t a Best Picture contender, it could still earn a nomination for Morgan’s screenplay. A lot depends on how its received later in the year when more of the year-end prestige pics are released.