Red Joan (2018)

Directed by: Trevor Nunn | 101 minutes | biography, drama | Actors: Sophie Cookson, Judi Dench, Stephen Campbell Moore, Tom Hughes, Freddie Gaminara, Laurence Spellman, Tereza Srbova, Ben Miles, Robin Soans, Kevin Fuller, Stephen Boxer, Simon Ludders, Steven Hillman

‘Red Joan’ tells the startling story of an elderly, distinguished lady, who one day finds the British Secret Service on her doorstep. She is taken to the station and interrogated for being suspected of treason. The lady in question is played by the always reliable and enchanting Judi Dench, and during the interrogation we see her life story in flashbacks and she is played by Sophie Cookson. ‘Red Joan’ is based on Melita Norwood, the ‘granny spy’ who was exposed as a spy for the Russian KGB in 1999 at the age of 87.

We meet young Joan when she goes to study physics at Cambridge University. Joan is naive, serious and withdrawn, but the chance meeting with student Sonya (Tereza Srbova) suddenly makes her life a lot more interesting. Sonya introduces her to her group of friends during a movie night, where communism is being promoted. During that evening, she meets Sonya’s cousin Leo (Tom Hughes), and it isn’t long before Joan falls head over heels for the utterly charming political activist. However, it is definitely not a match-made-in-heaven.

‘Red Joan’ then follows Joan for a number of years. After graduating, she soon lands a job at Tube Alloys, working directly under the unhappily married Max Davis (Stephen Campbell Moore). Joan and Max fall in love, but Max’s wife doesn’t want a divorce and Max refuses to have an affair on principle. Not much later, Joan begins secretly channeling research data to Sonya so that the Russians can catch up in developing the atomic bomb. Not that she wants Russia to win the war, should there be a third, but because she gives everyone a fair chance.

The balance in ‘Red Joan’ is a bit off. In the first place, the focus is far too much on the romantic part, while that is the least interesting part of this story. In addition, we see too little of Judi Dench’s character. It’s not that Sophie Cookson doesn’t captivate, but the chosen structure doesn’t do it justice at all. Just when you think you can get a little more grip on the woman who has had to walk around with this heavy secret all her life, the film jumps back decades and the attention goes back to the young woman, who is becoming increasingly stronger in her life. shoes state.

For feminists among us, it’s nice to see how the super-intelligent Joan manages to silence the men in her field; when she is asked to fetch the tea, she shows what she has to offer without batting an eyelid. Cookson certainly intrigues, but is mainly bothered by the somewhat boring scenario and the slow pace. The film does look like it’s worth it. Had as much attention been paid to the balance of the story as to the sets, costumes and staging, ‘Red Joan’ would certainly have benefited.