Ammonite is a slow-moving drama set in 1840s England. It tells the story of Mary Anning, a real-life woman who searches for fossils on the rocky beaches of Lyme Regis. She is hired to look after a sick young woman named Charlotte, and the two of them develop a passionate lesbian romance. This fictional relationship serves as a highly visible queer narrative that critiques how traditional society holds women back.
Community feedback
Was our 91% Woke rating accurate?
Breakdown
These are the editorial factors and ratings behind our score for Ammonite.
Woke representation / casting
The cast matches the racial makeup of Victorian England. However, the casting serves a modern queer narrative. The film casts famous Hollywood stars to play real historical women as romantic lesbian partners. Current industry standards place a high value on LGBTQ+ themes. This focus on queer representation increases the score.
35%
Woke political dialogue
This is a quiet movie with very little talking. It does not have modern political speeches. However, some dialogue has subtle feminist themes. It mentions men taking credit for the hard work of women in science. The score is low because the dialogue is sparse, but it goes up slightly due to these identity themes.
25%
Identity-driven story themes
The entire story is about a lesbian romance. This makes identity-driven themes the main focus of the movie. It looks at queer relationships, finding oneself, and going against traditional social norms. Because LGBTQ+ representation is at the center of the film, we score this highly.
85%
Western institutional / cultural critique
The film critiques traditional marriage and male-dominated institutions. The husband is cold and controlling, which makes traditional marriage look like a trap for women. The movie also shows male-led scientific groups as unfair. They steal and hide the work of women. This scores higher because it attacks traditional social norms.
65%
Woke character or canon changes
The movie makes major changes to real historical figures to fit a modern queer narrative. It shows Mary Anning and Charlotte Murchison having a lesbian romance, but there is no historical proof that they were queer. It also changes Charlotte's age to make her much younger, even though she was actually eleven years older than Mary in real life.
85%
Anti-woke backlash and complaints
The movie faced strong backlash from historians, descendants of the characters, and conservative viewers. They accused the filmmakers of using a real female scientist to push modern identity politics. They called the film "queer revisionism." Many complained that the film ignored Mary's actual scientific achievements to focus on a made-up romance for woke points.
75%
Creator track record context
The writer and director is Francis Lee. He has a high woke score of 80/100 and mostly makes LGBTQ+ stories. He has stated that he focuses heavily on gender and representation. Other producers and crew members have very low scores, but the director's strong activist focus shapes the entire movie.
70%
Production
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