Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
In the midst of a marital crisis, a High Court judge must decide if she should order a life-saving blood transfusion for a teen with cancer despite his family's refusal to accept medical treatment for religious reasons.
Emma Thompson delivers a commanding performance that elevates this Ian McEwan adaptation above its modest ambitions. The ethical dilemma at its core — a judge weighing a teenager's right to refuse treatment against his right to life — is genuinely compelling and handled with intelligence. However, the film struggles to fully dramatize its themes, leaning heavily on Thompson to carry scenes that feel underpowered. The cinematography is workmanlike and unremarkable, and the ending, while intentionally ambiguous, feels somewhat deflating rather than meaningfully unresolved. The marital subplot with Stanley Tucci, though not without merit, competes awkwardly for screentime with the central legal-ethical drama.