Film adaptation weakens Prima Facie’s gripping stage power

The 2019 stage production Prima Facie presented a concentrated, electrifying performance by Jodie Comer as Tessa, a London barrister transformed into the accuser in a rape case she once defended. Suzie Miller’s script and Comer’s delivery created a relentless monologue that immersed the audience in Tessa’s internal struggle—her legal expertise, moral conflict, and confrontation with the justice system. The play’s strength lay in its unbroken narrative, forcing viewers to endure Tessa’s anger, uncertainty, and exhaustion in real time.

Adapting this intensity to film posed inherent challenges. A two-hour movie centered on a single actor delivering a monologue remains uncommon, and when Prima Facie transitioned from stage to screen under Susanna White’s direction, it surrendered what had made the original so powerful. Cynthia Erivo took on the role of Tessa, but the film’s expanded structure—featuring procedural pacing and additional dialogue—diminished the emotional focus. Where Comer’s stage performance felt like a psychological descent, Erivo’s portrayal often resembled a standard legal drama protagonist.

How the film lost Tessa’s moral contradictions

The play’s brilliance stemmed from its refusal to soften Tessa’s contradictions. She was a defense attorney who dismantled victims’ credibility before becoming one herself. The stage version allowed Comer to emphasize Tessa’s hypocrisy, contrasting her courtroom detachment with her private torment. The film, however, condensed critical moments. A three-year leap from the assault to the trial omitted the agonizing recovery period, the way trauma alters a person’s identity. Instead, the movie adopted a conventional legal thriller format, with flashbacks and courtroom scenes resembling generic procedural television rather than Miller’s sharper, more intimate approach.

The film’s attempt to broaden the narrative by introducing Tessa’s mother (Noma Dumezweni), brother (Toheeb Jimoh), and attacker (Daniel Ings) failed to enrich the story. It only scattered the focus. The play’s power came from Tessa’s solitary voice, making the audience complicit in her moral crisis. The film, by contrast, felt like a diluted effort, where every scene balanced against another, every emotional moment diluted by exposition.

White’s direction lacked the play’s energy, its sharp wit, abrupt shifts between humor and devastation. The film’s visual elements were sporadic rather than sustained. While its themes about sexual assault and justice remained relevant, they were delivered in a manner that felt instructional rather than urgent. The play’s raw anger and ambiguity were smoothed into a more conventional, if less compelling, narrative.

Erivo’s intensity drowned by procedural pacing

Erivo contributed her customary intensity to the role, but the script had been significantly altered. The play’s most devastating scenes, where Tessa’s legal skills turned against her, forcing her to confront the system she once supported, were reduced to procedural steps. The film’s attempt to universalize Tessa’s story instead made it feel generic. What could have been a scathing examination of complicity and resilience became a familiar courtroom drama.

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The film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival indicated it was still seeking its audience. However, the screen adaptation was not merely a different medium, it was a weaker version of the original. The play’s impact came from its singular focus, its refusal to absolve Tessa. The movie, by dividing its attention, failed to capture the same effect.

While the play’s monologue created an unrelenting tension, the film’s added characters and procedural elements diluted the intensity. The result was a version that, though well-intentioned, lacked the original’s sharpness and emotional weight.

Some reviewers suggested the adaptation’s attempts to broaden its appeal may have undermined its impact. The play’s unbroken narrative forced audiences to engage directly with Tessa’s internal conflict, whereas the film’s structure made it feel more like a conventional legal thriller. The shift from stage to screen, while ambitious, ultimately failed to preserve the original’s power.

Why the adaptation’s changes made it forgettable

Erivo’s performance remained strong, but the script’s changes left little room for the depth of Tessa’s character. The play’s exploration of moral complicity and survival was watered down, replaced by a more predictable courtroom narrative. The film’s attempt to make Tessa’s story relatable instead made it feel familiar and unremarkable.

Despite its flaws, the adaptation’s themes about justice and trauma remained important. Yet the execution failed to match the original’s intensity. The play’s unbroken focus on Tessa’s psychological unraveling was lost in the film’s broader approach. The result was a version that, while not without merit, could not replicate the stage production’s emotional force.

The film’s reception at festivals highlighted its struggles to find its footing. While the play’s singular perspective made its message urgent, the film’s expanded scope diluted its impact. The adaptation’s attempt to broaden its appeal ultimately weakened its core strength, the unflinching examination of Tessa’s moral crisis.