Again I was looking for a good movie to watch on HBO Go and I stumbled across
Notes On a Scandal, starring Cate Blanchett, and Judi Dench. I figured how could I go wrong because I think both Cate and Judi are among the elite of actresses.
Dench plays Barbara Covett, a spinster who's a relic in a rowdy neighborhood school. Barbara is strange, stern, unpopular, and quite the difficult person to work with. Her character narrates the story, as she meticulously documents the boring events of her life in her trusty diary. The school environment gets changed when a new beautiful art teacher Sheba Hart (Blanchett) enters the scene, and becomes popular among both students and staff. Her feminine demeanour brings about a tinge of envy, yet attraction for Barbara.
What follow is a look at emotions of obsession, envy, and lust. As Barbara gets close to Sheba, she learns that Sheba doesn't have that perfect family she envisioned from the presumptions made about a person, and managed to gain an upper hand in their relationship when she learns of a deep, dark secret of an affair with a minor. It's basically a power play among the women, as you see how a hunter snares its prey through cunning schemes and blackmail and threats.
I will not say any more or I will spoil the movie. Notes On a Scandal is an intense, well-acted movie that I recommend.