The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister

The Secret Diaries of Miss Anne Lister, dir. James Kent, 2010, UK, 90 minutes

Two centuries ago in Yorkshire, England, a woman named Miss Anne Lister defied social conventions by openly refusing to take a husband, saying that she would instead seek to have a female companion. She was a feminist, generations before that term was coined, and fiercely determined to live true to her own life. Her diaries, written largely in code, survived, almost forgotten, until they were deciphered in the late 20th century. This biopic compresses the timelines slightly, but is essentially true to the remarkable life of an astonishing trailblazer. MUST SEE.

Note: The Real Anne Lister (below) is a documentary about the title character; also a MUST SEE.