by Julian Wood
Worth: $16.00
FilmInk rates movies out of $20 — the score indicates the amount we believe a ticket to the movie to be worth
Intro:
… guaranteed to provoke discussion among audiences …
Issues of clearly communicated consent are close to the heart of today’s gender politics. Sex education in school, for example, emphasises consent above all else. The burden of this focus falls, as perhaps it must, mostly on men and boys. Looked at in one way, in heterosexual encounters, they are the problem. These very live debates form the backdrop to Inter Alia, piped over from the London stage as part of the familiar NT LIVE series.
Highlighting the aforementioned theme might enter spoiler territory, but it is impossible to avoid because it dominates almost every aspect. Not that the work is just a lecture, it tries very hard to be a satisfying piece of drama in its own right. It is aided by the skill of the team behind it and by the excellent cast.
Inter Alia is written by Australian lawyer cum playwright Suzie Miller, whose blistering Prima Facie erupted a few years back. That was a one woman show, which gives an excoriating account of how the law (and the patriarchy that shapes it) treats male to female sexual assault. It was obviously a deeply personal work for Miller.
Incidentally, we will soon drop the lawyer tag for this writer but, for now, the way that the law intersects with sexual mores is what fires her up. Once again, the protagonist is a strongly feminist woman who works in the law. Jessica Parks (Rosamund Pike) is a crown court judge. Her husband Michael (Jamie Glover) is ‘only’ a barrister, and we learn that some of the tension in their marriage comes from the fact that she has outpaced him. They have one late-teenage son Harry (Jasper Talbot). The piece deals with incidents that come to affect the whole family, and which bring agonizing decisions into play for all of them.
As noted, this is from the same team as Prima Facie. That was effectively a vast and kinetic monologue. This one can’t quite shake off that monologue feel. There are many scenes where Pike has to carry the whole thing, including conversations with others shot through with asides that vocalise her inner thoughts. Pike is more than capable of these switches that could slow down a lesser player. She is luminous on stage and gives a masterclass in her craft. She is rapidly growing into being a great British actor (can we say actress this one time?) in the vein of Judi Dench or Helen Mirren. Simply put, you would want to watch anything she is in. The male roles are not quite as well written, but both Glover and Talbot support ably. Also, both have strong scenes towards the end. The moment where Michael has to retrospectively address how he was socialised as a young man is a telling counterpoint to his son’s world. Talbot has more of a rounded-out task, and the scenes between mother and teenager are both confronting and moving.
All in all – or should we say among other things – this is an impactful work. It shows Miller growing in depth if not range. It is pretty well guaranteed to provoke discussion among audiences depending upon how deeply they engage with this troubling and still very present issue of male power and privilege.
