Displaying items by tag: Jamie Glover

INTER ALIA: NATIONAL THEATRE LIVE

UK, 2025, 120 minutes, Colour.

Rosamund Pike, Jamie Glover, Jasper Talbot.

Directed by Justin Martin.

The filmed version of the stage production by the National Theatre. It is an experience that can be highly recommended – staging, performance, legal and moral issues.

The play was written by Susie Miller, Australian writer and dramatist, whose previous play, PrimaFacie, was successfully produced by the National Theatre and filmed live and seen worldwide, also winner of the number of awards including blessed as to play.

Audiences will be impressed by the theatre craft, the staging, the suggestion of a variety of locations from law courts to home and to a karaoke bar, the use of lighting, rapid movement, change of scenes, change of clothes, and all the while the action moving with speed and continuity.

Audiences who have watched the career of British actress, Rosamund Pike, from early days in Pride and Prejudice, to her featured role in the thriller, Gone Girl, many film performances as well as television series, may not have anticipated her acting range as manifested here. While she performs the role of the judge in court, Jess, presiding over a case of sexual assault, her thinking aloud, many scenes where we see her at home, performing the role of wife and mother, cooking and serving, relationship with her lawyer husband who had not been promoted to a judicial position, raising issues of equality and opportunities for women. And there is her relationship with her son, teenager, noncommunicative, the gradual revelation of his behaviour at a party. And, she performs also in flashbacks with her son as a little boy. It is certainly a high peak performance, a theatre career-best performance.

There are two other members of the cast, Martin Glover as Jess’s husband, successful lawyer, the pair happily married, yet the underlying upset that he was not promoted as judge before his wife or at the same time as his wife. He creates an interesting character, professional male of the 21^st-century, dealing well with his work and competency but some tensions in his life at home, and taking for granted that his wife will cook and look after the domestic issues. Then there is the issue of dealing with their son. Jasper Talbot plays the teenage son, typical teenager in many ways, sometimes sullen at home, ups and downs in his relationship with his parents, the issue of parties and freedom, drinking and drugs, relationship with girls. And, it strongly emerges that his parents had taken him for granted, trusted him, not had the important discussions with him at crucial periods of his growing up, especially as regards sexuality, identity, respect for women.

And the issues of this play are very strong:

• the significance of a judge, the role of the judge in British jurisprudence as well as court action, the observations of the judge during the trial, internal comments about the behaviour of members of the court, the accused, witnesses, the need for impartial attitudes and behaviour. And, with a female judge, the contrast with her duties at home, her behaviour, her outings with friends in the karaoke, dealing with her son, especially as the crucial situation of rape accusation emerges.
• The issue of cases, sexual assault, rape, situations and choice, issues of consent and withdrawal of consent, the behaviour of the female, the male, party situations, drinking and drugs, men taking advantage of women, responsibility and irresponsibility, acknowledging the truth or not, the impact on them. Traditional views, legal arguments, presumption of innocence, proof of guilt, the role of witnesses, procedures.
• The role of the law, issues of morality, and not guilty verdict not indicating innocence but that guilt was not proven.
• The importance of the mother with high legal and moral standards, discovering the truth about her son, not wanting to believe, protective mother rather than judicial judgement, the increasing emotionality, challenges to integrity and authenticity, to excuse, to defend…
• The role of the father, role model, discussions with his son, absence of discussions, taking his son for granted, lack of responsibility, consequences.
• The teenager himself, age, experience, growing up in the legal household, the relationship with each parent, troubles with puberty, some happy memories of childhood and these being visualised, behaviour at school, with friends, parties, lying to his parents, covering, the reality of the party situation, his long friendship with the girl, growing up together, the party, drinking, her behaviour, his behaviour, the friends and the peer pressure, the sexual activity, her consent, lack of consent, conscious awareness, the consequences, his covering up, interactions with his parents, their trying to support him, the truth, admitting the truth or not?
• The buildup to the climax, the stances of the father and his relationship with his wife in the situation, the mother as judge, the precedents of mother and protection of a son, the moral dilemmas, the legal dilemmas?
• The impact for the audience, impressed by the theatrical experience, the intensity and strength of the dialogue and interactions, support of Jess, critique of her husband, attitudes towards the son, initially, hearing the case, hearing the truth. And the final impact of the theatrical experience, the screen experience, and the audience sympathies and the final moral judgement by the audience.

(2025 also saw the streaming of the British television series, Adolescence, also raising issues of parents, children, their moral development, gaps in their development, criminal behaviour, family support, the law, the psychology of an adolescent and treatment and support.)