The Bostonians (1984) on Netflix

Plot summary

In 19th-century Boston, Olive Chancellor is a Back Bay spinster and a leader of the women's suffrage movement. She becomes devoted to Verena Tarrant, a young speaker with a gift for moving an audience, and brings her into her circle as a protégée, friend, and companion. Olive's distant relation Basil Ransom, a Southern lawyer, meets Verena and falls in love with her. He wants to marry her, and he believes a woman's place is in the home. Olive wants Verena for the cause and for herself; Basil wants Verena as his wife. The two compete for Verena's affections while Verena, whose father is a faith healer, faces a choice between Olive's social cause and the life Basil promises.