an Iron Lady?

I can honestly say that I have had no personal experience of Margaret Thatcher's politics. However I have observed the impact of her decisions on the UK and I can hear that the country is still very divided in their opinions about her - which in itself says quite a lot about her longstanding influence. So it was with an open mind that I came to see the recently released film, The Iron Lady. The cinema was full to overcrowding. I can only say my reaction was mixed. Meryl Streep is a truly amazing actress - she portrayed the subtle changes of aging in movement, expression and positioning. I really did forget I was watching Meryl. Jim Broadbent is also a very convincing Dennis Thatcher - portraying a calm, supportive and sensitive husband. But I am still at a loss as to why this film was made... and its timing. Cynically, I wonder if there is a desire to be the first of many, when she really does die. I hope not - but I cannot help thinking that neither she nor her close family would really enjoy watching this film right now. Maggie's rise to the top in a very male chauvanist political world was truly impressive but this film does little to investigate how and why this happens - more than a happy coincidence, I think. I felt disappointed at the superficial way it portrayed her rise to the top and eventual personal abuse of power. I don't feel like I am any wiser about the difficult and disastrous decisions she made. How can one really compare the massive costs and benefits of the Falklands war with the closure of so many Welsh mines and the impact it had on the surrounding towns? There is also a terrible, tragically ironic split between the smart, educated and erudite lady that she once was and the dementing lady she is now. I am not sure whether we are meant to pity her for this dramatic loss of self and power - I am not sure she would want this - and I also wonder whether it is a small political back handed slap from her opponents - you cannot have and keep it all! It is also not clear whether her 'hallucinations' of being with Dennis are a beautiful escape from reality for her or a challenge for her daughter to cope with as she tries to maintain her mother's function. I wonder whether the now dementing Maggie was actually content to live in the past, although I fear we were meant to feel her deep sadness at her loss. Finally, I am not sure what this does for the social image of dementia - at one level the current Maggie seems cold, distant and disconnected from her past - which I think preys on all our deepest fears about not wanting to dement as we age. However if I could just live happily with the positive memories, it might not be so bad...