The Lady is a French-English co-production directed by Luc Besson, starring Michelle Yeoh as Aung San Suu Kyi and David Thewlis as her husband. Yeoh describes the film as "an incredible love story" against the background of "political turmoil". Paris Match shared her opinion, naming the film an extraordinary story of love between her deceased husband Michael Aris and a woman who sacrifices her personal happiness for her people. Michelle Yeoh called the film "a labour of love" but also confessed it had felt intimidating for her to play the Nobel laureate.  Suu Kyi had already been played by Adelle Lutz in John Boorman's Beyond Rangoon in 1995. When Aung San Suu Kyi is three years old her father has led Burma to independence and is assassinated by a death squad on 19 July 1947.