Two thespian heavyweights, Cate Blanchett and Judi Dench, going toe to toe, battling to a draw. The scandal, as it comes to light, is the illicit and illegal affair of a married-with-children, thirty-something art teacher, Blanchett, and a fifteen-year-old male student (Andrew Simpson), a ripped-from-the-headlines affair made perfectly plausible if not comprehensible. What doesn't come fully to light, except to the voyeuristic viewer, is how a self-deluding lonely old lesbian history teacher, Dench, attempts to use her knowledge of the affair to her own advantage, again perfectly plausible if not exactly politically correct. Both of the women are individuals, not representatives, and they're played that way. The drama gets a bit overwrought toward the finish, and Philip Glass's phone-it-in musical score is no asset, but all in all a compelling effort. With Bill Nighy and Phil Davis; directed by Richard Eyre. (2006) — Duncan Shepherd
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