Francis Lee’s Period Film Ammonite: An Exploration of Gender, Class, and Sexuality

Abstract

Ammonite (2020) is loosely based on the life of Mary Anning (1799–1847), a palaeontologist in England. The film captures her struggles as she drudges by the seaside to collect fossils that were appropriated by the male scientists who claimed her relics as their own. Her stormy relationship with Charlotte Murchison, an upper-class woman, posits the chief ideas that the film explores- class, gender, and sexuality. Lee’s story resurrects the unacknowledged achievements of Mary Anning in a patriarchal society and adds an LGBTQ dimension through their passionate erotic relationship. It is a reimagination based on the lives of two women who were ignored by the male-centric scientific community of the nineteenth century. The study critiques discrimination against women, class differentiation and the institution of marriage. It underscores the role of cinema as a cultural text to reveal how such practices have existed through centuries of exploitation and marginalization by those in positions of power. As a storytelling medium, cinema can transport audiences into a different historical time frame and give an alternate perspective to challenge the status quo. The paper examines how Ammonite addresses pressing issues of class and gender and offers a cultural critique through the aesthetic use of images, sound, and narrative. The film has been evaluated through Feminist Theory, Media Studies, and Queer Theory to establish how Lee’s film presents alternative paradigms favouring inclusivity and representation of the less privileged.