Adapted from Lillian Faderman’s Scotch Verdict, this striking period piece exposes the intersectional biases against a lesbian couple in 19th-century Scotland based on a real-life trial that rocked the country.

When the haughty aristocrat Lady Cumming Gordon (Fiona Shaw; Killing Eve) enrols her granddaughters at a new girls’ boarding school, young Jane Cumming finds herself instantly isolated. Born to an Indian mother and targeted by the racism of her classmates, Jane turns to her progressive teachers, Marianne Woods and Jane Pirie, for solace and protection. However, admiration soon morphs into a volatile psychological game. When Jane’s desperate bid to join her mentors’ inner circle is rejected, the fragile boundary between teacher and student fractures, driving her to unleash a ruinous accusation.

Evoking the luscious period aesthetics of Portrait of a Lady on Fire, director Sophie Heldman delivers a thrillingly lensed masterclass in tension. This exquisite drama features an extraordinary clash of generational power dynamics, with rising star Mia Tharia holding her own opposite theatre legend Fiona Shaw.

Awards and Festivals:  
2026 Berlin International Film Festival
2026 Edinburgh International Film Festival
2026 Melbourne International Film Festival Festival