The Children Act (2018)

Ian McEwan adapted his own 2014 novel of the same name for this nicely understated film about a serious subject. The Children Act in The Children Act is an actual British law passed in 1989 to guide government agencies, the courts etc. in looking after children's best interests in legal matters. Emma Thompson plays the Honourable Mrs Justice Maye DBE a respected, high profile family court Judge in London. As her long, generally happy, but childless marriage to her husband Jack (Stanley Tucci) is entering a crises, centered on his desire to have an affair due to her lack of sexual interest in him, Justice Fiona May gets assigned a life changing case. Fionn Whitehead is Adam Henry, a devout Jehovah's Witness boy three months shy of his 18th birthday, suffering from Leukemia he is destined to die if he does receive a medical treatment involving blood transfusion, something that is forbidden by his faiths doctrine. Justice May must make a decision that is literally life or death for Adam, and in the end must deal with the consequences of that decision, which are not going to be what she is expecting. It's really an interesting dilemma, the answer might seems obvious at first, but there are implications that go beyond law, or even right and wrong, but to the very core of someone's identity. A really good part for Ms. Thompson and good supporting performances all around. It will make you think. ***1/2