​​One of the beauties of documentary films is that they shed light on otherwise unknown people, niche subjects, and pivotal times throughout history. Mothers of the Revolution is one such film, exploring a movement and the women of it whose story I had never heard of before. And I’m so glad that I have heard their story - it’s a pretty remarkable and a great one at that. Mothers of the Revolution is a powerhouse tale of a group of seemingly powerless women who take on the establishment and nations and change the course of history.

 

In 1981, as their children played around the kitchen table, four mothers shared their fears about the prospect of nuclear war. Terrified for their children’s future, they organised a 120-mile march from Cardiff to Berkshire to protest the impending arrival of US nuclear missiles at RAF Greenham Common.

 

Mothers of the Revolution explores the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp and not only the mind-boggling achievements that they attained but the incredible micro-stories that make up the whole narrative of the peace camp, the women who started, preserved, and fought for it during the 19 years of the camp's existence. 

 

Director Briah March achieves this through interviews with some of the main founding members of the women’s peace camp as well as a variety of commentators. What was immediately striking and was a continued theme throughout the film was that these were just ordinary women who passionately believed in a cause and did incredible things together. Even in the early 80’s there was still a cultural expectation of women and their sexuality, and these women just flew in the face of that. No matter the cost that some of them had to pay. 

 

Especially when nowadays a call to arms is achieved through the click of a button, the lengths that these women went to and what they accomplished is extraordinary. Mothers of the Revolution is a superb, raw, awe-inspiring, call to arms.  

 

Mothers of the Revolution is a powerhouse tale of a group of seemingly powerless women who take on the establishment and nations and change the course of history.