Judi Dench Rocks It!
Dame, indeed.
That said, this movie is very hard to watch. Her are some themes I do not overly enjoy: pedophilia, adultery, emotional blackmail, unrequited lesbian love. And this flick has them all. The story of a bourgeious bohemian art teacher (Sheeba Hart) who has an affair with a 15 year old pupil, escaping her loveless marriage to an older man (Nighy) and the heavy weight of having a child with Down Syndrome. An old battleax type teacher (Dench) finds out and rather than turn Hart in, decides she will hold it over her head and develops a “friendship” out of this.
It is nice to see Cate Blanchett in a conteporary role. It is almost surprising that I have a hard time thinking of her in this way.
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The score (Phillip Glass) adds a lot.
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The writing/narration are excellent
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The ending is worthwhile/fulfilling
