Cynthia Erivo is officially out of Oz.“Prima Facie,”her first film since the two“Wicked”movies, had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sunday, and the crowd at Roy Thomson Hall gave it a standing ovation. Erivo stars as a London defense barrister who believes in the system she works for, until a colleague assaults her and she has to navigate that same system as an accuser.
The film comes with serious pedigree. Suzie Miller’s original play was a one-woman show, and Jodie Comer won an Olivier in London and a Tony on Broadway for it. For the screen version, Susanna White directs and Miller adapts her own script, expanding the 106-minute story into a full ensemble that includes Daniel Ings and Simon Russell Beale. The themes, consent, sexual violence, and the pressure survivors face, hit just as hard on screen.
The most interesting detail coming out of Toronto has nothing to do with the ovation. The movie arrived at the festival without a U.S. distributor, while Sony holds the U.K. and international rights. That makes the next few weeks a real negotiation, and every headline about that standing ovation is a data point someone at a studio is reading.
Would you watch“Prima Facie”in theaters, or is this a streaming night for you? Let us know in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.