Prima Facie LFF review: Cynthia Erivo gives powerhouse performance
Prima Facie is best known as a one-woman play starring Jodie Comer, who won an Olivier and Tony Award for her 2022 and 2023 West End and Broadway runs and reprised the role for one last time on a UK and Ireland tour earlier this year. Cynthia Erivo had big shoes to fill, following on from Comer, and she rose to the challenge.
The film, written by original playwright Suzie Miller, follows London-based barrister Tessa (Erivo) who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault. She finds herself on the other side of the justice system when she is sexually assaulted by a colleague.
The play was a one-woman show, so naturally Miller had to significantly rework her story for the film adaptation. Erivo is surrounded by an ensemble cast who previously existed only inside Tessa’s spoken memories on stage, such as her colleague Julian (Daniel Ings), brother Johnny (Toheeb Jimoh) and Noma Dumezweni as her mother. It also takes place in real time rather than as a recollection, and, by casting a Black actress as Tessa, they also explore racial bias in the justice system and how Black victims are less likely to see police charge and convict their alleged perpetrators.
I really wish I had seen the play so I could compare and contrast the performance and storytelling. I regretted not seeing Comer’s award-winning performance at the time, and I feel that even more now. But as a result, I can take Prima Facie for what it is. Erivo gives a commanding, staggering, powerful performance. Tessa goes from being a confident, in-control, high-powered lawyer to a shell of her former self and a vulnerable raw nerve.
The film itself is upsetting, infuriating and hard to watch. It really makes you understand why most victims don’t come forward and report the crime to the police, because they have to go through hell afterwards. They are treated like criminals at trial – scrutinised for what they wore, how much they drank and how much detail they can recall – and retraumatise themselves when the likelihood of a conviction is low. Erivo gives a speech about this injustice that feels a bit too long, preachy and on-the-nose, but it’s really powerful seeing her ruthlessly cross-examining victims in early scenes and discovering what it’s like to be in their shoes later.
Erivo’s impressive performance is the biggest reason to watch Prima Facie. The film – a straightforward procedural in the second half – itself doesn’t quite reach her standard, but I’m glad it exists so its important message can be seen more widely.
In cinemas from Friday 13th November