‘Notes on a Scandal’ Rated R Starring: Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy Directed by Richard Eyre Run time: 1 hour, 38 minutes Rating:

“Notes on a Scandal” is a thriller that works, primarily because it’s told from the perspective of a stalker.

The interplay between the victim and stalker lays at the heart of “Notes on a Scandal,” a thunderhead of suspense that is so well paced and well-structured that it rivals the best thrillers out there. It features two powerhouse performances and a script that doesn’t leave any room for excess, adding to the tension.

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Barbara (Judi Dench), a seasoned teacher at a British high school, is taken by Sheba (Cate Blanchett) the new art teacher who befriends Barbara. Barbara is a lonely old woman who is clearly in need of companionship, and Sheba is a woman unhappy with her marriage to an older man (Bill Nighy) and clearly overwhelmed by teaching. Sheba begins to have an affair with one of her students, and Barbara catches her, leading them down a path of blackmail and deception as Barbara manipulates Sheba in order to protect her secret.

Working from a script by Patrick Marber, based on the book by Zoe Heller, “Notes” gives Judi Dench the opportunity to tear into her role, giving us a multifaceted woman who falls in love with Sheba even as she holds her in contempt. Stripped of her usual glamour and filled with unhappiness, Dench gives what is inarguably one of the best performances of the year. Her voiceovers drive the narrative and give the audience insight into her tortured character. Blanchett also gives a wonderful performance as the wounded Sheba, who is clearly a woman just trying to be happy, even as she makes awful decisions.

The script by Marber is phenomenally intense. The characters are introduced and given their backstories, and then the film takes off, spiraling out of control and giving the two actresses a wonderful interplay. The audience sees how each one deceives the other, and the suspense builds to a shattering climax in which the two women bare their thoughts about each other.

Richard Eyre, the director, knows that he needs to keep the film moving, and he does, rarely wasting a shot or boring the audience. The score by Phillip Glass is also terrific, if a little overpowering.

The film’s only real flaw lies in the ending. After building the suspense to unbearable levels, the writer and director can’t really figure out how to end it, and the ending presented is more melodramatic and clich�d than it should be. Perhaps there is no proper way to end a story like this, but judging from the way this film ends, there certainly should have been a better way to end it.

‘Notes on a Scandal’ is a terrific thriller that is certainly topical in its issues of pedophilia and suppressed sexuality, and also terrific in its craft. This is a showcase of acting at its finest, and a representation of some of the most thrilling cinema out there today.