Professor Marston and the Wonder Women (2017)

 

If you were to look up psychologist William Moulton Marston on Wikipedia or some similar reference work, you'd read that he is known for three things:

• inventing a prototype lie detector;
• inventing Wonder Woman; and
• spending the last 22 years of his life in a polyamorous triad with his wife, Elizabeth Holloway, and their one-time research assistant Olive Byrne, both of whom bore him children.

In the real world, though, few things are ever actually invented by a single person working alone.  Just as Marston could not be in a polyamorous triad without Holloway and Byrne being in it with him, he did not invent either the lie detector or Diana of Themyscira in isolation.  In fact, Holloway and Byrne were as important to these achievements as they were to his romantic life.

That truth is skilfully though fairly subtly illuminated in this film, though as you might expect, a whole lot of the script's attention focuses on the last of the three items, exploring the questions of 'just how did this three-way relationship come about, and how did it work?'

And I think it is important to note that it was a three-way relationship, not a case of a man with two lovers.  Holloway and Byrne considered themselves just as much each others partners as they were Marston's, and continued to live together until Byrne's death forty years later.

One risk of exploring subject matter like this is that the film succumbs to the temptation toward prurience and shock factor.  I'm pleased to say that in the deft hands of director Angela Robinson, there is no such issue here.  The film absolutely acknowledges the physical side of the relationship - including some depiction of bondage, which the trio frequently explored - but it is sensual and erotic without being hugely explicit.  There is some nudity, but less than you might expect, and a lot of time and effort is put into developing a strong sense of emotional connection between the characters.

The result is a very convincing portrayal of a successful three-way romantic relationship.  I don't believe a polyamorous relationship would work for me (or just as importantly, for my wife), but I do believe that it worked for these three people.

The film is definitely helped in this regard by the strong performances from the central trio of cast members.  I particularly liked Rebecca Hall's performance as Elizabeth Holloway, who comes across as strong, dedicated and intelligent.  Not to mention ultimately considerably more practical than her somewhat idealistic, occasionally naïve husband.

If the subject matter doesn't put you off, this is a well-written, well-directed, well-acted, convincing biographical film.