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Notes On A Scandal (small spoiler-you must know the story)

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I think you mus know the basic story... Cate Blanchette is a teacher who has an affair with a pupil whilst Judy Dench is an older teacher who befriends her but... well I won't go into all of it!
As ever Blanchette is radiant as her character proceeds to try to throw her life away while Dench is riveting as a Machiavellian women lost in her fear of loneliness.
The scenes with the young boy are played very well, very straight as Blanchette remembers her own youth, emphasised by giving her a bike to ride round London.
As her world descends into hell she rises to the occasion and an award SHOULD be coming her way. Along with Dench, she dominates this film, but this is light years from being a chick flick. This is women's work.
I could hear the mmmm more mature women in the audience not only laughing but making all sorts of agreeing noises so its pretty safe to say its hots the mark.
The pace picks up in the second half as everything becomes unstuck, unhinged.
Its a fantastic piece of very British cinema. And there's a very involving Philip Glass score as a bonus.

Follow Ups:

Philip Glass is - PhilJ 05:13:25 02/10/07 (2)
a little mellower than usual here. I really like his music but sometimes it hits you over the head, not in this movie, it is more subtle and beautiful, fitting the pace and timing nicely.
Womans work is a good way to put it...
a fun movie to watch I thought
- Glass did well with "The Illusionist" - DWPC 10:27:59 02/11/07 (0)
  I don't care for Glass' music ala carte, but it works in movies.
- female protagonists - dave c 13:29:48 02/10/07 (0)
  Sometimes it takes a film like this to show you how macho most cinema is.
  The only male roles of note are the husband who is a minor character generally there to react to Sheba, even though played by a great actor, and the teacher who also falls for her and he is not exactly a glowing example of the male-ness, is he?????
  The intensity of this film reminds me things such as Who's Afraid Of Virginia Wolf?.
  Interestingly, the book is called What Was She Thinking with Notes On A Scandal as a sub-title, leaving the main title equally applicable to both the Sheba and Barbara characters.
  In the film there is a reference to bus conductors, but I don't think London buses have had conductors for decades, have they?

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