Shot in black and white, running just 71 minutes and restricted to basically one set, Sally Potter’s new film is not exactly multiplex fodder! Kristin Scott Thomas stars as Janet, a politician just promoted to the shadow cabinet. She is holding a small party with her closest friends but secrets are about to emerge that will change a number of lives.
This sort of film, shot so much in close-up too, lives or dies by its performances. Scott Thomas is great, as is Emily Mortimer as her friend with big news of her own and, of course Timothy Spall as Janet’s husband outshines them all. But the rest of the cast are much more disappointing with Patricia Clarkson and Cillian Murphy, overacting in such an intimate piece, particularly culpable.
The script could have done with more insight too but the twist at the end was pretty neat.
Rating: 6 out of 10