Prima Facie Reviews: Cynthia Erivo Praised As Film Fails To Impress Critics

Wicked star Cynthia Erivo is set to return to our screens later this year in her new movie Prima Facie.

Based on the one-woman play of the same name, Cynthia takes the lead as a barrister, Tessa, a character originally played by Jodie Comer on both the West End and Broadway, who represents herself in a troubling sexual assault case.

Following its debut at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on Sunday night, the movie sparked a range of different opinions – but the British actor’s leading performance has been repeatedly singled out for praise.

Deadline’s review said that Prima Facie once again shows Cynthia as a “fine dramatic actor” who “does what she can with the ambiguity of a role where the legal chairs are suddenly shuffled”, but lamented that “in this more literal film version something may have gotten lost in translation” compared to the critically-lauded source material.

The Hollywood Reporter agreed that the adaptation was a “misfire” and “a near-total muddle”, even if Cynthia “eloquently displays” her character’s complicated feelings at different points in the story.

Meanwhile, The Guardian’s two-star review claimed the “pointless” film adaptation had “flattened” the script of the play. The Oscar nominee was said to have approached “the role with a focused rigour”, even if she “oddly doesn’t have all that much to play”.

A review in The Playlist was similarly critical of the film, hailing Cynthia’s “captivating” and “very, very good” work as Tessa, but concluded that “when even the talents of Erivo can’t overcome” its shortcomings, “the verdict is grim”.

Critic Rendy Jones even went as far as claiming that the Wicked star “carries” her new film, writing: “Cynthia Erivo gives a fantastic performance in Susanna White’s film adaptation, but its focus on the wrong thing saps the potential of what could have been a damning critique of the protection of assault and predators within the court of law.”

More positive was TheWrap’s take, singling out Cynthia’s “layered” and “admirable” performance in the “complex” and “fascinating” film (even if it ultimately conceded that it “doesn’t have the same impact as the play”).

Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Cynthia recently opened up about throwing herself into her latest role, admitting there were times she’d feel “sick”, “angry” or “betrayed”.

“It was hard to come away from that sometimes,” she shared.

A cinema release date for Prima Facie is yet to be announced.