Notes on a Scandal

Completed2006United Kingdom98 min

Veteran teacher Barbara Covett lives behind a carefully maintained wall of judgement and routine. New colleague Sheba Hart seems to offer the…Read more +Read less −

Veteran teacher Barbara Covett lives behind a carefully maintained wall of judgement and routine. New colleague Sheba Hart seems to offer the friendship and intimacy missing from her life, and Barbara quickly invests the connection with hopes Sheba does not understand. When she discovers that Sheba is involved with a schoolboy, Barbara gains a secret that can bind them together—or destroy them both. Her need for closeness turns increasingly possessive as the scandal threatens to become public. This psychological drama centres on obsession, isolation and the dangerous imbalance between the relationship one woman imagines and the one the other believes she has.

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Drama Thriller

Sapphic characters & cast

Judi Dench

as Barbara Covett

Main sapphic character

Performer publicity portrait via Rotten Tomatoes; photographer/rights unverified

Cate Blanchett

as Sheba Hart

Main sapphic character

Performer publicity portrait via Rotten Tomatoes; photographer/rights unverified

YOUR FIRST LOOK

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BEHIND THE SCENES

Details & credits

Country: United Kingdom
Language: English
Premiere: 2006-12-27
Runtime: 98 minutes

Film publicity artwork via Rotten Tomatoes; rights unverified

Artwork source & permission status

Editorial review approved — rights not independently confirmed

Film publicity artwork via Rotten Tomatoes; rights unverified

Original publication ↗

Sources & editorial notes (4)

Last researched 2026-11-03. Editorially approved.

year: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03
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status: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03
country: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03
language: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03
description: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03
trailer url: Exact film trailer/preview destination; distinct from full-film availability, checked 2026-11-03
watch links: Current official full-film destination and territory evidence, checked 2026-11-03
western cast: Exact film cast and character / selected release reference; namesake and edition checks in notes
premiere date: Exact film cast and character / selected release reference; namesake and edition checks in notes
runtime minutes: Exact film trailer/preview destination; distinct from full-film availability, checked 2026-11-03
representation type: Film production/distributor/festival: identity and substantive sapphic lead evidence, checked 2026-11-03