The Children Act (2017)

As her marriage crumbles, a judge must decide a case involving a teenage boy who is refusing a blood transfusion on religious principle.

Director:

Richard Eyre

Writers:

Ian McEwan (screenplay by), Ian McEwan (based on the novel by)

Stars:

Emma Thompson, Stanley Tucci, Fionn Whitehead

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Emma Thompson	...	Fiona Maye
Stanley Tucci	...	Jack Maye
Fionn Whitehead	...	Adam Henry
Ben Chaplin	...	Kevin Henry
Rosie Cavaliero	...	Marina Green
Nikki Amuka-Bird	...	Amadia Kalu QC
Rupert Vansittart	...	Sherwood Runcie
Stacha Hicks	...	Jill
Jason Watkins	...	Nigel Pauling
Anthony Calf	...	Mark Berner
Honey Holmes	...	Director / Producer (as Angela Holmes)
Eileen Walsh	...	Naomi Henry
Nicholas Jones	...	Professor Rodney Carter
Dominic Carter	...	Roger
Hiten Patel	...	Lawyer

Storyline

As her marriage to Jack flounders, eminent High Court judge Fiona Maye has a life-changing decision to make at work - should she force a teenage boy, Adam, to have the blood transfusion that will save his life? Her unorthodox visit to his hospital bedside has a profound impact on them both, stirring strong new emotions in the boy and long-buried feelings in her.

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Plot Keywords:

female protagonist | female judge | judge | courtroom | trial | 

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Taglines:

We all make choices. Hers make history.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for a sexual reference

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 September 2018 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Children Act

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$18,293, 16 September 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$513,381, 4 November 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Toledo Productions, BBC Films, FilmNation Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Original literary source: ""The Children Act", novel by Ian McEwan, published by Jonathan Cape, London, 2-9-2014, 224 pp., ISBN: 9780224101998.

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Goofs

Throughout the film, her clerk and others address Fiona as 'my lady'; in reality they would simply call her 'judge'. 'My Lady' is a term of address used only in court.

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Quotes

Fiona Maye: Life is more precious than dignity.

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Connections

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Emma Thompson/Elle Fanning/LykkeLi/Amine (2018)

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Soundtracks

My Funny Valentine
Written by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart
Taken from their musical comedy "Babes in Arms" (1937)
Performed By Emma Thompson on the piano; vocals by Anthony Calf.

User Reviews

Not a 'must watch' tower

The trailer really wets the appetite and if like me, you were expecting a lengthy legal battle with a dose of moral dilemma and lashings of emotion, you will be disappointed. The JW blood element is short and fleeting as the film concentrated more on the marriage problems between ET & ST, who perform fantastically as ever btw, and the wild infatuations of a confused boy. There was some misrepresentation of JW's, the Kingdom Hall didn't look like any I had ever set foot in, it painted a biased picture of people's interpretation of faith and there language and terminology felt archaic and old testamenty. There are few a divisive topics as refusing blood transfusions for minors based on religious faith and this particular showing didn't leave me or my party much to deliberate on after the credits. Overall, a missed opportunity and a waste of a fine cast.