MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Notes on a Scandal

Notes on a Scandal

2006 · 92 min

A cold, gripping character study that makes you squirm as quiet loneliness curdles into predatory manipulation.

Tagline
One woman's mistake is another's opportunity.
Overview
A veteran high school teacher befriends a younger art teacher, who is having an affair with one of her 15-year-old students. However, her intentions with this new "friend" also go well beyond platonic friendship.

Search YouTube for the trailer

Rent in the UK
  • Apple TV Store
More options Data from JustWatch
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • darkstrength 3 of 3
  • tensestrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • cynicalstrength 2 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • obsession
  • loneliness
  • betrayal
  • deception
  • morality
Places
  • school
  • big city
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • unreliable narrator
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action2
Horror3
Humour3
Realism8
Romance4
Tension8
Darkness8
Complexity7
Emotional weight8

More like this

Titles like Notes on a Scandal

Movie

Verity

2026

A sleek, chilly thriller that keeps you uneasy, constantly second-guessing what's real and who's lying.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal · unreliable narrator

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
  • unreliable narrator
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
117 min
Details In your watch list
VerityHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Closer

2004

A sharp, emotionally bruising watch full of verbal sparring and raw confrontations that linger uncomfortably.

Same writer: Patrick Marber · Tense, melancholic · about obsession and betrayal

Also
Same writer: Patrick Marber
Via
  • tense
  • melancholic
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
104 min
Details In your watch list
CloserHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

The Handmaiden

2016

A lush, twisting tale of desire and deception that keeps you off-balance, blending cruelty with tenderness in a sumptuous, unsettling experience.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal · unreliable narrator

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
  • unreliable narrator
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
145 min
Details In your watch list
The HandmaidenHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Queen of Hearts

2019

A slow-burning, tense drama that feels like watching a car crash in slow motion, with a chilling and emotionally devastating atmosphere.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
127 min
Details In your watch list
Queen of HeartsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Lolita

1962

A queasy, darkly comic study of obsession, full of unsettling wit and slow-building dread.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
154 min
Details In your watch list
LolitaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

White Wedding

1989

A quiet, uneasy romance that drifts from classroom tension into obsession and quiet devastation, leaving a lingering ache.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
92 min
Details In your watch list
White WeddingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Asylum

2005

A slow, suffocating plunge into forbidden desire and mental unravelling, leaving a lingering chill.

Same writer: Patrick Marber · Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Also
Same writer: Patrick Marber
Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
99 min
Details In your watch list
AsylumHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Dangerous Liaisons

1988

A cold, glittering duel of wits and seduction, where elegance masks cruelty and every polished exchange draws blood.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
119 min
Details In your watch list
Dangerous LiaisonsHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Damage

1992

A cold, gripping plunge into obsession and ruin, watching a composed man unravel with quiet, devastating inevitability.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
engaged
Runtime
111 min
Details In your watch list
DamageHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Match Point

2005

A slow-burn psychological thriller that keeps you tense with moral ambiguity and the unsettling weight of luck and guilt.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
124 min
Details In your watch list
Match PointHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Magical Girl

2014

A slow, unsettling descent into moral decay, where desperation and cruelty intertwine with cold precision, leaving a lingering sense of dread.

Dark, tense · about obsession and deception

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • deception
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
127 min
Details In your watch list
Magical GirlHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Lolita

1997

A queasy, beautifully shot descent into obsession, where tenderness and predation blur and every scene leaves you uneasy.

Dark, tense · about obsession and betrayal

Via
  • dark
  • tense
  • obsession
  • betrayal
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
137 min
Details In your watch list
LolitaHidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Rent
  • Apple TV Store
Buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Amazon Video
  • Sky Store
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
drama, romance
Directed by
Richard Eyre
Written by
Patrick Marber
Starring
Judi Dench, Cate Blanchett, Bill Nighy, Andrew Simpson, Phil Davis, Michael Maloney, Juno Temple, Max Lewis
Music
Philip Glass
Cinematography
Chris Menges
Runtime
92 min
Country
United Kingdom, United States of America
Languages
English, French

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata