Red Joan
Screening: Wednesday, September 11th
Time: 110 Minutes
Genre: Drama, mystery, suspense
Rating: R
Suspense and mystery unfold in this fascinating film based on a novel by Jennie Rooney, which was inspired by the scandalous story of British civil servant Melita Norwood. Joan Stanley (Judi Dench) a seemingly respectable elderly woman and mother, enjoying a quiet retirement in a small British village is suddenly arrested for espionage. Subsequent police interrogation reveals that Joan, a young and very clever Cambridge physics student in the 1930’s(Sophie Cookson) fell for Leo Galich (Tom Hughes) a Russian operative. Leo’s seduction of the young Joan was both physical and political, as he persuaded her of the validity of his different worldview. Joan later landed a prestigious job as research assistant in the construction of the atomic bomb, and consistent with her recently acquired convictions, passed on military secrets to Russia, intending thereby to level the global weapons playing field in order to avert future war. Was this an act of betrayal to her country or ultimately one of loyalty to all mankind? Was Joan a pacifist or a traitor? You decide.