Notes On A Scandal

Normally any movie based on a bestseller pales in comparison to its written companion. Notes On A Scandal is a fascinating look at obsession and loneliness from two completely different perspectives. The lives of two women, different in age and outlook come crashing together when one's ‘secret’ is threatened with exposure, that will affect the lives of all involved in a very dramatic way. Cate Blanchett plays Sheba Hart, a new art teacher at St George’s School in North London, slightly naïve and unfocussed Sheba catches the eye of fellow colleague Barbara Covett, what occurs next is a scandal that will change everything.

Judi Dench plays Barbara, a lonely, controlling ‘old spinster’ who lives alone with her loyal cat Portia. With no real friends, she has a gap to be filled in her life, so when Sheba appears Barbara begins a passionate obsession with the young apple of her eye. What starts out as a blossoming friendship takes an ominous turn when feeling betrayed Barbara threatens to unveil Sheba’s affair with one of her young students (Andrew Simpson).

This film is extremely gripping, and keeps you guessing right till the very end. The actors are all at the top of their game and the performances are all on the money. The script is blackly humorous and incredibly racy in terms of dialogue, I was watching it thinking ‘she can’t say that'... but she did. Direction from Eyre seems almost as though he is staging a production on the West End - each character is well developed, interesting and very realistic, a testament to the source material by Zoe Heller.

It’s nice to see a thriller that gets its thrills from chilling acting and the scenarios its characters find themselves in rather than blood, guts and gore. At times I felt as though I couldn’t watch the screen as the betrayal unfolded before my eyes.

A great psychological thriller, that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

Sharp-witted and effortlessly cool.