The Children Act

A film about a judge and one of her cases, set in London. Fiona Maye sits in the family division and is known for her judgments. Her marriage is failing; her husband tells her plainly that he wants to be with someone else, and she cuts the conversation short. The same week a case arrives. A seventeen-year-old is being treated for leukaemia and needs a transfusion. He and his parents refuse on religious grounds. The hospital applies to the court and the decision is Fiona's. She does something unusual: she goes to the hospital and talks to the boy. The meeting is brief and affects them both. The real subject is not the decision but what comes after. Life continues once a court has ruled, and where the judge's responsibility ends is left unclear. The source is Ian McEwan's novel; he adapted the screenplay himself. Emma Thompson plays Fiona, Stanley Tucci her husband and Fionn Whitehead the boy. Richard Eyre directed. A well-acted film for anyone who likes courtroom drama and character-driven storytelling. For a viewer expecting action, the narrative is calm and built entirely on conversation.