The friendship between an elderly jealous school teacher and a younger art teacher is threatened when she learns her friend has been sleeping with one of her 15-year-old students, starting a chain of events that could potentially destroy both their lives--like blackmail.

What makes this movie work are the powerhouse performances by Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett.

They will blow you away. Don't be surprised if both get year-end nominations.

Notes on a Scandal is well worth checking out.

It's a character study in unpredictable human behavior when Cate Blanchett is blackmailed into an obsessive friendship with Judi Dench after having an affair with one of her students.

And although some may find the plot objectionable, this one is all about the acting.

A fine ensemble cast rounds out the corners of this square peg of a thriller, making it one of the best-acted films in a long time.

The movie, Notes on a Scandal, is torn from the tabloid headlines.

The story explores the unpredictability of human behavior when jealousy and blackmail become involved.

It's a real shake-up in the classroom when a bitter spinster sets her sights on a fellow educator with secrets of her own.

The film emerges as a remarkable control and character study.