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Throughout the second half of the year, we tend to see powerful films with memorable performances by all of the usual Award Season stars. Though it’s still early in the year, Oscar winner Helen Mirren kicks off the season with a strong starring performance in the biopic Golda.
Golda tells the story of the Yom Kippur War, which took place over just three weeks during October of 1973. When Israeli Intelligence is first warned that war with Egypt and Syria is imminent, Prime Minister Golda Meir (Mirren) assembles her military advisors to plan the mobilization of their troops. But when the attack doesn’t go as expected, the aging Prime Minister, who’s secretly battling her own growing health concerns, races to make decisions and seek help from allies while closely monitoring their wins and losses in the continuing attacks.
While the story may play out during the war, though, Golda isn’t really a war movie. In fact, the film shows very little of the war, offering only the occasional radio updates and grainy footage from the military’s command center as the Prime Minister looks on. Instead, the film is a biography, examining the strength and determination—as well as the passion and emotion—of this well-known historical figure.
Admittedly, unless you’re familiar with the key figures, you may not be able to follow the more intricate details of the story—but that’s not really the point anyway. While the finer points of the action circling around the main character often feel like a blur, the film gives its full attention to Mirren and her character. Whether she’s having yet another smoke on the roof of her office building overlooking Tel Aviv or gathering the latest updates from her advisors or listening in on the horrors of the war, all of the drama focuses on the Prime Minister—on every difficult decision, every conflict, every emotion. It’s a truly transformational performance by a talented (yet unrecognizable) star, allowing viewers to believe that they’re watching the real thing instead of a dramatization. The story could have (and should have) been stronger—but Mirren’s performance carries the drama.
Golda doesn’t offer an in-depth exploration of the Yom Kippur War—or a thorough examination of the life and leadership of the woman leading these all-important meetings. Really, this isn’t an especially powerful film. But with her strong and expressive performance, Mirren still makes it worth watching.
Helen Mirren’s Golda arrives in theaters on August 25, 2023.
Listen to the review on Reel Discovery:
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