Notes on a Scandal (DVD, 2009, Spa Cash)

Nothing can quite prepare you for how you will experience this film. It has subjects that include adultery, an aging lesbian, a teacher having an affair with a teenage student, a family with a retarded child, just to name a few of the subjects that might make you think the movie will not be of interest. Nothing could be farther from the truth. How Richard Eyre, the director, takes these characters and intertwines their stories to keep you on the edge of your seat, like the best of thrillers, is what sets this movie apart from most others. Once into the story, you become spellbound in the tangled web of lies, deceits and danger. It has a little of the "Talented Mr. Ripley" in it, because of all the deception and intrigue. In my experience, it's so unique, it's not really comparable to other films. Above all, the outstanding acting by Dench, Blanchett and Nighy, make this a cinema tour de force. They make a formidable acting ensemble and the great adapted script and novel is at the heart of it all.