High Court judge Fiona Maye is meticulous, brief and extremely well prepared. Deviances from established protocol or the issue at hand are not tolerated for a moment. Jolts to Fiona's ordered and complex world come in the forms of a restless, bored spouse and a young man, Adam, on the verge of dying because the religious doctrine of his parents will not allow the blood transfusion he desperately needs. Inner turmoil and pent up emotions cause Fiona to act out of character and the consequences are swift and severe both in Adam's case and Fiona's personal life. In darkness and despair Fiona searches for a jewel she can hang onto.

Emma Thompson (Fiona) is amazing. Her riveting and emotional performance carries the film and moved me in ways I didn't imagine. The film title is a bit misleading. Despite reading a review in advance, I still thought the primary theme would be something of a documentary of the development or implementation of the Children Act and therefore something of a snoozeapalooza. It is nothing of the sort. While it does concern the Children Act, it is mostly a character driven drama. Any realistic portrayal of a country's justice system should be accompanied by a snooze alert, but this film is realistic enough without drifting into the realm of dreamland. The film is based on a book by Ian McEwan.

Have a love for Emma Thompson and Stanley Tucci, and both have done great work in many films worthy of their talent. Also have liked quite a fair bit of Richard Eyre's work and the writing of Ian McEwan, particularly 'Atonement' and 'On Chesil Beach'.

Seeing 'The Children Act', having really been compelled by the advertising, liking the book and having heard a lot of good things about it, it may not be one of Eyre's best or McEwan's, though adaptation-wise it does acquit itself well. It's also not one of the best overall films of Thompson or of Tucci (films, not performances). 'The Children Act' is an uneven film, but it is on the most part interesting and well done and its best parts and good things are absolutely wonderful. Not one of my favourite films of the year but not one of the worst either.

Commencing with the good things, 'The Children Act' is very well made. Particularly striking is the cinematography, both haunting and beautiful and enhancing the evocative period detail perfectly. Also haunting is the music, which does get embedded in the brain and takes a while to leave it. The script is mostly very literate and nuanced and Eyre directs impeccably.

The first half is wonderful. It's intelligently done, always absorbing and with some genuinely moving moments. Pace-wise, 'The Children Act' is deliberate but most of the time in film this is not a bad thing and this is not an exception for the first half. The characters are compelling in their realism, though Adam is more empathetic in the book. What is especially good throughout is the acting with possible career-best work from Thompson, who is just sensational, and affecting support from Tucci. Jason Watkins brings some levity and Fionn Whitehead has a bright future ahead if continuing down this path.

It is unfortunate however that the second half isn't as good. Again it is poignant, it has some nuances and it is beautifully shot, scored and acted. It just gets too melodramatic with some vague plot points that are under(or un) explored and the pacing slackens.

Writing loses its way a little too, the nuances aren't as frequent and corn creeps in. The outcome is easy to figure out too early.

Overall though, well done with many fine moments. Just wish it was more consistent. 7/10 Bethany Cox

The British Children Act 1989 states that children's welfare should be the paramount concern of the courts. Many times, their welfare even supersede the wishes of the children or their parents. Fiona Maye (Emma Thompson) is a high court judge who often deal with these high pressure life and death cases. Her marriage to Jack (Stanley Tucci) is in trouble when he asks her for permission to have an affair with a younger colleague. A new urgent case comes to her court. 17 year old Adam Henry (Fionn Whitehead) suffering leukaemia needs a blood transfusion quickly for his treatment but he and his parents object as Jehovah's Witnesses.

It's an intriguing movie about an interesting subject matter but it doesn't go far enough to take it cinematically to the next level. It's a good TV movie about a British law which is so different from American sensibilities. Emma's performance is immaculate. The movie doesn't quite hit the top gear. It's not until the second hospital stay when I realize that the stalking could go so much further. It needs to heighten the danger, and the story tension. I'm not advocating for some sort of psycho killer thriller but her career needs to be threatened somehow. If this is meant to get festival hype, it probably falls short. As a TV movie, it is plenty interesting.