"People should not be afraid of their governments; governments should be afraid of their people."

Much has been written about this film and its sociopolitical commentary on oppressive governments that seek to curtail freedoms, lie to its own citizens, and find torture and imprisonment without trial acceptable. What it gives us is both a warning about what a climate of fear can create and a hope that there are those out there who will lead the masses to their senses.

"V" (Hugo Weaving) is a freedom fighter, a man who wears a mask as he uses terrorist tactics to rally London residents to fight back against their totalitarian government in the year 2015. The United States at this time is a backwater, all but destroyed by the plague it created to win a war.

"V" saves Evey (Natalie Portman) from rape by the secret police, and she joins him. When detained, Evey shares a cell wall with Valerie (Natasha Wightman), imprisoned because she is a lesbian. She writes out her story to Evey. "I remember how different became dangerous. I still don't understand it … why they hate us so much."

The death of Valerie, imprisoned for her sexual orientation, is a rallying point for "V" and is used as a powerful illustration of the dangers of such government power over the lives of its populace.