[yasr_overall_rating]
The story of psychologist William Moulton Marston, the polyamorous relationship between his wife and his mistress, the creation of his beloved comic book character Wonder Woman, and the controversy the comic generated.
This film cuts no corners in getting to the heart of the matter very quickly. The fact that it is based on a true story makes it highly intriguing due to the intrinsic value of measuring the impact of telling the truth. Professor Marston (Luke Evans), a lecturer of all things controversial, is put in the merciless, yet enviable position of defending his public persona which is part of a covert operation that tests the limits of society’s views on sexuality and feminism. His dual interests involve bringing truth to light and satisfying his own curiosity about the human need for sexual pleasure. His wife, Elizabeth Marston (Rebecca Hall) an advocate of “penis envy” herself, tests the limits of her husband’s own frailty while pushing him to reveal his deepest secrets in unchartered sexual territory surrounding his assistant, Olive Byme (Bella Heathcote).
The film delves into the seemingly complicated and altruistic life of Dr. William Marston, who was a Harvard Psychologist as well as a crafty inventor. Dr. Marston’s research of feminine sexuality led to the 1941 creation of Wonder Woman, the Iconic feminist superhero. Both his wife Elizabeth and his Assistant Olive, became an integral part of his developing thesis about women and their choices when it came to addressing their views on sexuality and feminism. This unconventional relationship led to the trio becoming a close-knit family wherein the three became lovers and the two women bore and raised children together that were all fathered by Dr. Marston. While the three tried to keep their private life separate from their public life, they were soon exposed and their children, as well as themselves, were targeted as repulsive freaks who were an embarrassment to society. When the married couple tried to sever their ties with Olive, who was the object of each of their heart’s affection, their private world literally crumbled and it took Dr. Marston’s impending death to bring them back together. Upon his death, the women rekindled their relationship and remained together as lovers for the next thirty-eight years while the popularity of Wonder Woman forever changed the world.
Director Angela Robinson, a known lesbian, who has produced similar works, did an excellent job of selecting a strong and age-appropriate cast to represent strong feminist women who were in control of their thoughts and actions as well as a strong male who was relentless in his pursuit of the truth and his own sexual fantasies. The highly intellectual conversations and theories that are present throughout the film are both thought-provoking and sexually stimulating. Mature audiences of varied ages and genders can be sure to appreciate this fascinating story behind the discovery of the infamous Wonder Woman and her amazing, orgy-inspired roots.
In theaters Friday, October 13th
