Last we saw Cate Blanchett onscreen, she was — spoiler alert! — popping up in a surprise cameo in the final episode of Netflix's "Squid Game," as a Los Angeles recruiter for an American version of the deadly games.
It's just the latest role in the actor's incredibly varied and vibrant filmography, which has spanned spy thrillers ("Black Bag"), horror comedies ("Rumors") and psychological dramas ("Tár") in recent years.
That surprise "Squid Game" appearance had us thinking about the Aussie star's previous roles, one of the most memorable being her turn as a tempted teacher in the 2006 Richard Eyre-directed "Notes on a Scandal."
Blanchett's performance as a woman embroiled in a scandalous affair is tremendous, is made even better by scene mate Judi Dench's darkly brilliant turn as a lonely veteran educator who becomes besotted by Blanchett's character, until she uncovers the fellow teacher's illicit affair with an underage student.
"Notes on a Scandal" is currently available to stream on Hulu — here's why you should add it to your watch list.
What is 'Notes on a Scandal' about?
The arrival of willowy, charismatic new art teacher Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) ruffles more than a few feather brushes at St. George's comprehensive school in London — the statuesque blonde looks a whole lot like Cate Blanchett, so all the intrigue is certainly understandable.
And one of her many secret admirers is veteran history teacher Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), who has grown bitter and lonely in her spinster existence. Barbara strikes up a friendship with Sheba and thrills over their close bond.
That is, until she discovers that Sheba is having a secret affair with one of her teenage students (Andrew Simpson), despite him being very much underage and Sheba being married to the much older Richard (played by Bill Nighy).
As Barbara becomes the keeper of Sheba's explosive secret, the relationship between the women turns dark and territorial.
Why you should stream 'Notes on a Scandal' on Hulu
"Notes on a Scandal" is a true tour-de-force two-hander between two of the industry's finest and most skilled performers. Both Dench and Blanchett rightfully earned Oscar nominations for their performances (for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress, respectively) in the thriller with Patrick Marber's sharply adapted screenplay and Philip Glass's original score also recognized by the Academy.
With "unshowy authority," the filmmaker "gets the best out of Dench and Blanchett and, with great shrewdness, elicits from these two actors all the little tensions and exasperations — as well as the genuine tenderness — in their tragically fraught relationship," writes Peter Bradshaw for The Guardian.
Richard Eye's film feels like a pulpy throwback to the kind of smart erotic thrillers that dominated the 1990s. "Sexy, aspirational and post-politically correct, 'Notes on a Scandal' could turn out to be the 'Fatal Attraction' of the noughties," Carina Chocano surmised for the Los Angeles Times. And for The Times, James Christopher sums up the darkly delicious "Notes on a Scandal" most simply, calling it "a potent and evil pleasure".
Watch "Notes on a Scandal" on Hulu now
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