When it exploded into cinemas a decade ago, the big screen adaptation of Alan Moore and David Lloyd's groundbreaking graphic novel was unlike anything produced by a major studio in many years; and thanks to the Guy Fawkes mask's subsequent prominence in political activism, it remains an iconic, influential work. In its heightened yet frighteningly plausible portrayal of a near-future Great Britain under a totalitarian regime, V For Vendetta can easily draw fear and anger from the audience; yet in one particular sequence, it also draws tears by the bucket. Natalie Portman's Evey, a young woman who has inadvertently been caught up in the activities of the masked freedom fighter V, is taken prisoner and undergoes lengthy, systematic torture. Her one respite comes from the letter she finds concealed in her cell; the last written testimony of Valerie Page, an actress who was taken into that same facility because of her lesbianism. As the letter is read aloud quite beautifully by actress Natasha Wightman, we are shown the key events of her life as she recounts them: meeting her first girlfriend at school, being chastised by a teacher, disowned by her distraught parents, and finally taken away by armed police when the fascist Norsefire Party takes over the country. The scene is a heartbreaking reflection of the baseless bigotry and hatred faced by non-heterosexuals to this day, and a decade on it has a particular resonance given what we now know about screenwriters and producers the Wachowskis (who were still going by Andy and Larry at the time). But regardless of the viewer's sexual orientation and/or identity. Valerie's letter is both a vital warning about how easily our personal freedom might be taken away, a rallying cry to never give up that last "inch" of personal integrity, and a reminder that, even in the most dire of circumstances, there may yet be a glimmer of hope to be found. Did these comic book movie moments leave you an emotional wreck? Any other scenes you think warrant a mention? Feel free to let us know in the comments section below.
