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Notes on a Scandal is surely this month's winner of the 'Most Controversial Issues in a Single Movie' award. Encompassed in the storyline are adultery, underage sex, a teacher sleeping with a pupil, lesbianism, stalking, and more. Cate Blanchett plays Sheba, a new teacher at a secondary school, who has an affair with a 15-year-old pupil. Judi Dench's character, a senior teacher, finds out about it and begins to take advantage of the situation, becoming infatuated with Sheba. It makes for a gripping drama, well acted by the first-rate cast. Dench is particularly good in a very unflattering role. Bill Nighy also appears as Sheba's husband, which I at first thought was strange casting due to the age difference, but it is actually referenced in the dialogue and is an important factor in the plot; this age gap is partly used to explain Sheba's lust for the schoolboy. One of the small problems of the film, however, was that the motivation for the affair does not completely convince, with insufficient reasoning given for why Sheba would risk her career and her marriage. Despite the acting, the film could have felt like little more than a big-name TV movie if it weren't for Philip Glass's excellent musical score, which adds greatly to the drama of many scenes. The film also boasts a top-class script by Oscar nominee Patrick Marber, which keeps the viewer hooked right to the final scene.
The summary
Notes on a Scandal is engrossing, well-acted and well-written, with only a couple of slight lapses in plausibility hindering it.
