At the Toronto International Film Festival, there was very little buzz following the world premiere of Prima Facie, Susanna White’s courtroom drama starring Cynthia Erivo. An adaptation of Suzie Miller’s acclaimed one-woman stage play, the film has yet to acquire U.S. distribution as well. Perhaps all of that will change now with the release of a new trailer which shows that the story has been greatly expanded.
Adapted by Miller, Prima Facie stars Erivo as Tessa, who didn’t let her working-class background stop her from becoming a strong, confident defense barrister. She knows the ins and outs of the legal system better than anyone, but finds her confidence shaken after an assault by a colleague, leaving her to navigate that system herself.
Joining Erivo in the cast are Daniel Ings, Toheeb Jimoh, Noma Dumezweni, Simon Russell Beale, Elizabeth Dulau, Harry Treadaway, Sarah Junillon, and Elliot Levey. As I noted, Prima Facie was originally a one-woman show led by Jodie Comer, who won multiple awards for her performance.
Prima Facie has release dates coming up in the UK, Ireland, and Australia, but nothing in the US just yet. Check out the new trailer below.
