Notes on a Scandal
Directed by Richard Eyre. 2006. R. 91 min.
- Fri, Mar 16 to Thu, Mar 22
The story of an art teacher (Cate Blanchett) at a London school who falls for a teenage student, and whose deepest secret is betrayed by her frenemy (Judi Dench) as her life begins to unravel. Based on a novel by Zoë Heller, this high-tension drama is set at St. George’s school where the new art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) is quickly overwhelmed by unruly students. The school battleaxe, lonely spinster Barbara (Judi Dench), lends a hand, and soon the two are eating lunch together every day. Unhappily married to a much older man, Sheba begins an intense affair with her 15-year-old student Steven, and only Barbara suspects. After she wrings a confession from Sheba, Barbara uses her newfound knowledge to control Sheba and to demand a level of friendship that the younger woman finds unsettling. While Sheba’s composed, upper-middle-class life is disintegrating, Barbara thrives on her new power. Judi Dench rises to the occasion with a ferocious performance, and Cate Blanchett deftly conveys the quiet dissatisfaction of a woman who married too young and began her career too late. Emotions are highlighted with a score by Philip Glass. Nominated for 3 Golden Globes: Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay.