The official trailer has dropped for The Children Act, the legal drama starring Oscar winner Emma Thompson as a judge who, in the midst of a marital crisis, must rule on a life-changing legal case concerning the survival of a teenage Jehovahs Witness. Stanely Tucci, Fionn Whitehead and Ben Chaplin also star in the pic, directed by Notes on a Scandal helmer Richard Eyre and written by Ian McEwan who adapted his own 2014 novel.
A24 and DirecTV teamed to acquire U.S. rights on The Children Act after it premiered in the Toronto Film Festivals Special Presentations section last fall, with special buzz for Thompson as the conflicted British High Court judge. She will certainly be getting an awards-season push for this.
Thompsons Fiona Maye presides over the case of 17-year-old Adam (Whitehead), a Jehovahs Witness with leukemia whose life could be saved by a simple blood transfusion. But he is refusing on religious grounds, so his fate rests with Fiona, who, uncertain in her decision, makes the unusual move of leaving her courtroom to visit Adams hospital bedside. Their encounter forges a profound and unexpected connection, leading them to grapple with the ultimate question of what constitutes right and wrong.
All of this goes down as Mayes husband (Tucci), neglected and increasingly frustrated with their marriage, makes a shocking revelation, sending her into an emotional tailspin.
The pic premieres exclusively on DirecTV on August 16, followed by a theatrical rollout beginning September 14 in Los Angeles and New York.
Check out the trailer above.
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