Jim Mora of all people recommended that I see this film, ‘Notes on a Scandal’.  If you happen to be a football fan, you naturally know who Jim Mora is, if not, he’s the former head coach of the New Orleans Saints, and Indianapolis Colts and father of the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons Jim Mora Jr.  So I’m watching the NFL network and the host of the show asks Mr. Mora what’s the best movie he’s recently seen.  Mora being a film buff, and his father being an old Hollywood film editor suggested ‘Notes on a Scandal’ so if it’s good enough for Jim Mora, then by golly, its good enough for me.  Naturally I would have seen it anyway if for no other reason than to watch Cate Blanchette’s rare gift at work once again, but I moved it up in the rotation based on Mr. Mora’s recommendation and Notes does not disappoint. 

The title pretty much sums up of the movie as Dame Judi Dench portrays Barbara Covet, a bitter, angry, confrontational history teacher at a London high school who narrates large portions of the film while reading notes from her journal.  Blanchette is the new art teacher Sheba Hart whose winsome beauty is attractive to nearly everyone, including Barbara who we can assume has some lesbian leanings, though it is never directly implied.  Barbara befriends Sheba, coming to her house and meeting her much older husband Richard (Bill Nighy), her teenaged daughter, and her son with Down Syndrome and she is none too impressed with any of them, as she would write.  Soon Barbara has become completely infatuated with the young art teacher and follows her as she leaves a school assembly a bit early.  What she sees going on in a classroom between Sheba and one of the male students is, well, scandalous.  And Barbara takes notes on it.

Barabara is hurt, but she does see this as an opportunity to control her newfound muse.  She confronts the woman, but doesn’t threaten her.  Sheba’s life after all lies in the balance and Barbara reassures her that it’s in safe hands, IF she does as she instructed, starting with ending the illegal affair with the minor, which is probably a good idea regardless of the intentions behind suggesting it.  Well poor Sheba, as we come to observe, is one screwed up individual and things transpire which, at least in Barbara’s mind, forces her hand and soon we have a full blown tabloid filled scandal.  How do we allow these things to come to this?

Though ‘Notes on Scandal’ rests calmly in the assured hands of it’s supremely gifted lead actresses, it is much more than simply a filmed one act play between two acting heavyweights.  It’s a fine, challenging, difficult film.  Though Barbara narrates with such bite and vitriol, her words, however stinging do ring with truth.  Despite the fact that Sheba’s behavior is inexcusable, and even criminal, the narrative has been constructed as such that a viewer can at least envision how this was allowed to happen.  Bill Nighy, is another fine, if underrated actor in his own right, and he also gives a stellar performance as Sheba’s loyal, devout, if somewhat clueless husband.  How he was treated is the greatest betrayal of all in this film. 

Notes raises many issues, including sex, sexuality, society, expectation, marriage, and parenting, but it doesn’t focus on any one subject in particular, which personally I preferred as it kept this film out of the preaching traps than can engulf a narrative such as this one.  Instead, each instance is simply a passing occurrence in a characters life and the film simply asks you to observe, as opposed to judge.  Though judge you will.  It is our nature.

But of course, the film starts and ends with the performances of Judi Dench and Cate Blanchette.  Deftly directed by film veteran Richard Eyre, he has wisely given his stars the freedom to simply do what they do.  Considering that neither character is particularly endearing, and quite honestly repulsive in many ways, it would take an actor of considerable skill to find a way to give such characters multiple layers and make you care, at least in some form, about their outcomes, and Dench and Blanchette managed to breezily pulls off this significant feat.

‘Notes on a Scandal’ was an outstanding film, and a worthy addition to anyone’s film library.  Apparently Coach Mora knows what the hell he’s talking about when it comes to movies.  If only he could win a playoff game.  Playoffs?  No I’m not kidding.  Playoffs….