Review of Notes on a Scandal (2006) by Nurul I — 01 Feb 2010

From February 4, 2008:

While Notes on a Scandal played around with elements of Fatal Attraction in unusual situations, it ultimately was a taut and satisfying examination of human psychology, though it was no masterpiece by any stretch. The movie was hard to watch at points, as it dealt with somewhat controversial subjects, not the least of which concerned what can no doubt be labeled statutory rape on the part of Sheba. In addition, Barbara's propensity for obsession with the objects of her desire (all women), in addition to her cold and calculating demeanor, made the character incredibly creepy.

To wit, Dame Judi and Cate deserved their Oscar nominations. Their performances with such uncomfortable, extremely flawed characters were stunning and brimming with deference, managing to show the humanity of people who would otherwise be judged inhuman by societal standards. The scene that left my jaw open while watching these talented actresses was the scene in which Sheba, broken from the eventual publicizing of her affair and having found Barbara's diaries, confronts Barbara about her misguided feelings.

Bill Nighy was also impressive and highly underlauded. He should have received award nominations for his work in this film. The scene after which he finds out about Sheba's affair is heartbreaking beyond measure.

This film was also very well written. It was short and taut; no scene was wasted, and the movie never dragged. Philip Glass' lively score was in no small part a credit to the pace; it was very complex yet understated, an achievement not often reached in film scoring.

The movie wasn't perfect, though. Aside from the three actors named above, none of the supporting adults and children displayed very good performances. In fact, Andrew Simpson, who plays Steven, was one of the worst of the lot; he showed very little emotional range and was not believable as a charming, cajoling would-be paramour to a teacher much older than him. He must have been cast for his looks alone, as he is definitely someone with an extremely boyish and impish face.

Also, story-wise, Sheba's decision to engage in this affair was never made satisfying by the screenwriter or director. Barbara's character was very well flushed out, likely because she was the narrator. Her motivations were clear from the beginning, and more layers were added as the story progressed (such as the discovery of previous women she coveted). The reason why Sheba felt this affair was worth giving into was not made entirely sympathetic at most, comprehensible at least. Her reasoning: because she took on an entire family, including a young child with a difficult disorder, and played the good mother in the prime of her youth, she felt she deserved a little fling. There is no obvious discord with her husband, though, and her life seems otherwise happy, though she keeps pictures of her former, younger self, apparently a more goth rock-star version of the present-day Sheba. It was difficult to see why she would engage in an affair at all, with any man of any age, much less with a 15 year old (who looked like he was 12, by the way). In the end, though, Notes on a Scandal was a good, well-told story about the consequences of acting on and living for false hopes and skewered realities.