Prima Facie review – fiery one-woman play is flattened into a bland movie

Toronto film festival: Cynthia Erivo takes on the role Jodie Comer made famous for a pointless adaptation of a story about rape and retribution that loses the power it once had Suzie Miller’s award-winning 2019 play Prima Facie employs a familiar narrative device: a hotshot London barrister finds herself on the other side of the bar, subject to the very legal tactics she once so ruthlessly employed.

Not as a defendant, but as the accuser in a rape case.

We’ve seen versions of this before – a powerful figure suddenly caught in a struggle against a system they helped perpetuate – but Miller’s play distinguishes itself by putting the onus on to one actor.

Prima Facie is premiering at the Toronto film festival and is seeking distribution Continue reading...