Disclosure

The labelling of this film as a thriller may mislead some viewers. It's a psychological drama played out in long shot scenes in a suburban location. It's well written, well shot, well acted and raises very uncomfortable issues around sex abuse. But it's not an action thriller by any means.

Disclosure is a well-acted and thoughtful film that could easily have been a play but does a lot with its single location and miniscule cast and budget. It deals with a single afternoon in which two couples clash in increasingly ugly ways over an accusation made by one of their children against another. The premise itself reminded me quite a bit of 2011's "Carnage", although I actually think it gets better results than Polanski did, and with a much thornier topic.

While it does a detailed and subtle job of equally portraying the realities of the four principle characters, it seems (inevitably, in 2020) to come down on the side of 'believe all unfounded accusations any female makes against any male, no matter how old' and therefore on the side of treating 9 year old children like 50-year old repeat sex offenders. Which I guess is what the glowing reviews mean when they say it's "timely".

The basic struggle at the centre could have been dealt with in less-than feature-length time, and, while it is not dull, or poorly told, it does feel like it drags a little. Having said that, I appreciate what it tries to do and so recommend watching the once, with the above reservations.

Disclosure uses minimal framing and long takes to immerse the viewer in the drama. There are few cut aways or B-roll shots making the audience feel party to the events that involve throughout the afternoon on a beautiful sunny afternoon. This leads to a claustrophobic effect as we see at the reactions and body language of each character in relation to what they are hearing.

It's a tough subject matter to deal with child on child sexual abuse, but Micheal Bentham deals with it with sensitivity. Cinematographer Mark Carey also adds a beautiful and delicate touch.

Great character Drama, clever use use of a small budget. Really enjoyable. Geraldine Hakewill as always is excellent.

The limited characters and dependence on back and forth dialogue make this far more like a play than a film, with the corresponding static quality of action as opposed to lively speech. A host of issues are touched on and secrets are revealed, betrayed, bounced around... To what ultimate effect? Ah. That will depend on the viewer. Personally I got irritated at them all and didn't really feel like I ended up anywhere.