The scandal actually starts off with art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) getting involved with a sexual relationship with her student, Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson). However, the bigger scandal is actually the schemes of Barbara Covett (Judi Dench). She notes them down in her little diary, and pastes golden stars in it as the schemes bear fruit. After another failed "friendship", she begins to plot to become Sheba's friend. She helps her keep the secret of her scandal from her family and the school, and becomes the only person left to give her support when the cat was let out of the bag.
We all love a scandal or two, but this one will have you chewing your nails off in the scene where Sheba discovers Barbara's diary. The intensity is so mind-blowing, it gave me a headache! It was much more thrilling than your average Hollywood action sequence. Watching Cate Blanchett in this is much more rewarding than that in Babel, where her portrayal throughout the movie was more or less that of a wounded woman facing death. In this, she experiences love with a minor, destructive friendship with a fellow colleague, nostalgia of her past life, frustration of bringing up a kid with Down's Syndrome and pain of betraying her husband.
If you thought Judi Dench's presence in Casino Royale was minimal but effective, be prepared to be arrested by her acting in this one. It's as if she leads a double life - a firm, experienced school teacher and that of a desperate, obsessive lesbian woman who's afraid of dying alone. She's so threatening I was trembling in my pants when she demanded that Sheba accompany her to her cat's death or she'd dish out some revenge.
Overall the movie's exploration of some very human themes push it a notch above your average Hollywood flick.
Lonelines, and the desperation that comes along with it, is something we can all relate to.
1 comment:
nicely reviewed :)
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