A biopic about one of Britain's most controversial Prime Ministers was bound to incite strong feelings. This intimate portrait focuses less on the politics and more on the person behind the Iron Lady label. The performance led picture is driven by a tour de force performance from Academy Award winning Meryl Streep, who transforms into the indomitable Margaret Thatcher.

Her rise to power in a male dominated, class driven establishment is juxtaposed with the now frail and elderly Dame Thatcher haunted by the ghost of her late husband, Denis Thatcher (Jim Broadbent). A poignant portrayal of the country's first female PM, an unrivalled feat still. – R.K.