CELEBRITY

Elle Fanning Stars in New Film ‘Mary Shelley’

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Mary Shelley is a film about the real life of the 19th-century author, who is well known for writing one of the most well-known horror stories of all time- Frankenstein. It is in select theaters now, but coming out to more theaters on Friday, June 1st.

The film stars a female lead, was directed by a woman and was written by a woman as well. Mary Shelley was directed by Haifaa al-Mansour, the first Saudi Arabian female filmmaker. It stars Elle Fanning as Mary Shelley and Douglas Booth as P.B. Shelley. Unfortunately, the film received poor reviews, with a 32% on Rotten Tomatoes and a 6.5/10 on IMDb. Which is strange, considering 89% of Google users claimed to like the movie.

Before marrying English poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, Frankenstein’s author was known as Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin. The new film depicts the story of young Mary and the tragic series of events that occurred after meeting and quickly falling in love with P.B. Shelley. Mary transformed her suffering and depression into one of the world’s most profound stories. Regardless of the countless obstacles she was dealt in her young life, Mary also faced a world which would not accept her as the author of Frankenstein because of her gender.

Mary Shelley wrote Frankenstein in 1818, and now 200 years later women continue to fight for their equal rights, pay, and justice in the workplace. She fought for and eventually achieved acceptance as the talented writer she was, despite the countless publishers, writers, and individuals who denied her capabilities and a society that initially doubted her. Mary Shelley is an empowering and inspirational film, the kind that changes your perspective on life.