Mary Shelley

Cast: Elle Fanning, Maisie Williams, Douglas Booth

Director Haifaa Al-Mansour attracted attention with her 2012 film Wadjda, the first Saudi Arabian film ever to be directed by a woman. Hailing from a background in documentary, this trailblazing filmmaker now turns her eye to the story of Mary Shelley, the British author of Frankenstein, one of the most famous and beloved novels of all time. Elle Fanning stars as Shelley, just 21 when the book was published, and Douglas Booth is Mary’s drunk husband whose cavalier nature infused Shelley’s writings and who many erroneously assumed was the true author of her macabre masterpiece. This lushly produced period picture is full of divine costumes within decadent mansions and playhouses. Al-Mansour’s eye is pivotal to making Mary Shelley a true insight into the mind of a woman rather than just another pretty film about a famous woman.

Port Moresby’s Paradise Cinema screens many of our previewed movies. For screening dates and session times, see paradisecinemaspng.com.