Belle

Amma Asante’s second film stems from the remarkable right report of Dido Elizabeth Belle. Here played with right grit by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Belle is the illegal child of a British naval captain (Matthew Goode) and a black slave, raised in 18th Century England by aristocratic relatives (Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson).

Part coming-of-ager, part-abolitionist drama, it may not be 12 Years A Slave, but Belle has its own inner-strength. With scene-stealing support from Miranda Richardson and Tom Felton, the result is surprisingly touching and provocative.