Lucretia

Lucretia is a historical drama film based on the tragic Roman heroine, Lucretia. The film is set in the Ancient World Cinematic Universe (AWCU) and takes place in 510 BC, as Rome transitions from a kingdom to a republic.

The film stars Lily James, Richard Madden, Luca Argentero, Valter Skarsgård and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Like the rest of the AWCU, the film is mostly historically accurate, with some minor adjustments in order to make it cinematic.

Plot
Sextus Tarquin (Valter Skarsgård), the son of the tyrannical King of Rome, Lucius Tarquinius Superbus (Rupert Everett) , arrives in Collatia on a military errand and is welcomed by his cousin, Lucius Tarquinius Collatinus (Richard Madden). Sextus is introduced to Collatinus' wife, Lucretia (Lily James). The marriage between Lucretia and Collatinus was depicted as the ideal Roman union, as both Lucretia and Collatinus were faithfully devoted to one another.

While Sextus, Collatinus, Lucius Junius Brutus (Luca Argentero), and Publius Valerius Poplicola (Nikolaj Coster-Waldau) meet to discuss various things, Lucretia converses with her friend, Bianca. Sextus has flashbacks about a bet between the sons of Tarquinius and their kinsmen, Brutus and Collatinus made a week prior. The men fight over which of their wives best exemplified the superb moral and intellectual character. The men return home to find the women socializing with each other while drinking and engaging in an orgy. In contrast, they find Lucretia home alone, working with her wool in silence. This event makes Sextus envious and he seeks revenge against Collatinus.

During the night, Sextus Tarquin enters Lucretia's bedroom, quietly going around the slaves who were sleeping at her door. When she awoke, he identified himself and offered her two choices: she could submit to his sexual advances and become his wife and future queen, or he would kill her and one of her slaves and place the bodies together, then claim he had caught her having an affair. Without any escape, she chose the former.

The next day, Lucretia dressed in black and went to her father's house in Rome and cast herself down to her knees, weeping in front of her father and husband. She asked to explain herself and insisted on summoning witnesses (Brutus and Poplicola) before telling them about the rape. After disclosing the rape, she asked them for vengeance, a plea which could not be ignored because she was speaking to the chief magistrate of Rome. While the men debated the proper course of action, Lucretia drew a concealed dagger and stabbed herself in the heart, dying in her father’s arms.

This made Collatinus, Brutus, and Publocola furious, and they paraded the bloody corpse of Lucretia to the Roman Forum where it remained on display as a reminder of the dishonor committed. At the forum, the committee heard grievances against the Tarquins and began to enlist an army to abolish the monarchy. Brutus "urged them to act as men and Romans and take up arms against their insolent foes" in response to the death of a dutiful wife. The gates of Rome were blockaded by the new revolutionary soldiers and more were sent to guard Collatia.

The romans, knowing of the rape and the death of the virtuous Lucretia, became furious and attacked the Tarquins and the Etruscans. Collatinus kills Sextus, and Brutus summons a crowd in the forum and he gives them a speech. He levels a number of charges against the king and his family: the outrage against Lucretia, whom everyone could see on the dais, the king's tyranny, the forced labor of the plebs in the ditches and sewers of Rome. In his speech, he pointed out that Superbus had come to rule by the murder of Servius Tullius, his wife's father, the previous king of Rome and the father of Brutus' wife, Vitellia (Pom Klementieff). They are visited by the Sibyl of Cumae who tells them that it is Brutus' destiny to overthrow tyrants.

A general election is held where they choose to abolish the monarchy and enact a republic, all the while the body of Lucretia is still displayed in the forum.

Brutus, leaving Lucretia's father in command of the city, proceeds with armed men to the Roman army that is camped in Ardea. Tarquinius, who had been with the army, heard of developments at Rome, and left the camp for the city before Brutus' arrival. The army received Brutus as a hero, and persecuted Tarquinius. Brutus kills Tarquinius and the Etruscans retreat from the battlefield and the Roman Republic is formed.