The Children Act - Il verdetto

This is a very moving film and despite its official subject matter it really is about how the law and real life are not always compatible. The lady judge in this film is very accomplished in her profession advocating in court for children but she herself has avoid having her own children and her relationship with her husband is limited to "goodnight dear" expressions when convenient. But her encounter with a sick teenage boy whom she has to deal with officially and then unofficially brings her to a realization of who she has been and who she has not been. Not without its depressing moments the film is still very worthwhile.

Never before have I gone to a screening of a film just to see if it was going to be just OK, in fact I nearly didn't go. How wrong I was, I cannot remember a film that has has such an emotional impact on me. It's a very powerful intelligent and moving film with stunning performances from Emma Thompson & Fionn Whitehead and if Emma doesn't receive awards for her performance alone then there's something seriously wrong. If you like intelligent thought provoking films, go and watch this on the big screen, I promise you'll not be disappointed.

Kudos to all hands involved in making "The Children Act", a chamber drama about a family court Justice in London failing to achieve balance between her job and her private life. The legal issues involved are clearcut, but star Emma Thompson's acting brings out the profound emotional and pyschological issues underneath.

Stanley Tucci is perfect in understated support as her neglected husband, and a true discovery here is Fionn Whitehead as the teenage protagonist, a Jehovah's Witness whose life hangs in the balance as his parents, Church elders and he himself refuse the blood transfusions necessary to give his treatment for leukemia a chance to save his life. Fionn Whitehead, previously in a lead role in "Dunkirk", struck me as a powerhouse at the level of a young Tom Courtenay, and would be perfectly cast as either Billy Liar or the Long Distance Runner.

This is a very deep and thought provoking movie, relying on a supurb cast performance with Emma Thompson heading the list. Be careful reading the synopsis as it contains a few significant errors, might be based on the novel. I can't explain the errors without adding spoilers, and I don't do these.

The basic point of this movie is a confrontation between a woman striving to be as rational as possible, being a judge, and facing the limitations of pure rationalism when she has to rule on a question of faith. While faith also struggles to come out from this confrontation unscathed, as manifest by the young boy who has to live with the ruling of the judge. Very cleverly the story doesn't end with the judges ruling but with both sides of the debate having to live with the consequences of the ruling. The story is told with very English reserve that suits it very well. That's all one needs to know, before seeing it. If you get the chance do see it.

This film starts off engaging, as the judge is presented with a dilemma that would spark a controversy whichever way she decides to do. The courtroom drama is interesting and makes me want to find out what is next. However, the second half of the film is just really strange and uninteresting. It is far fetched, overly sentimental and plainly unbelievable. The second half spoils the experience for me.