A fascinating documentary about Gertrude Bell, frequently dubbed "the female Lawrence of Arabia," that could have been even better with more exposition and historical context.
Her story is told mostly via her letters, read by Tilda Swinton, and it contains astute warnings for the future. But frustratingly there are no contributions from historians or biographers to provide context and analysis.
This lively production, scored to the rhythms of throbbing table drums, serving up her sharp, sly criticism of the misogynistic attitudes of her male counterparts, reaches too far, presenting her as a sort of proto-Wonder Woman. But not very much too far.
