Cynthia Erivo takes control of the courtroom in the first Prima Facie trailer, then finds herself fighting to be believed inside the same legal system. Sony Pictures will release the film in UK and Irish cinemas on November 13.
Erivo plays Tessa Ensler, a brilliant defence barrister from a working-class background. She knows how to expose gaps in testimony, create reasonable doubt and win difficult cases. Many of the men she represents have been accused of sexual assault, and she treats the courtroom as a place where preparation and logic decide the result.
Tessa’s confidence is turned against her
The story changes after Tessa is assaulted by her colleague Julian Brooks, played by Daniel Ings. Reporting him puts her on the other side of the questions she once used in court. The trailer does not hide that reversal: Tessa understands every tactic because she has used those tactics herself.
The film is based on Suzie Miller’s award-winning play. Jodie Comer won Olivier and Tony Awards for playing Tessa on stage, where the story was performed as a one-woman show. The screen version opens the world around Tessa and gives supporting characters a larger place in her life.
Erivo said, “I loved the grey area that it dealt with.” That is central to the adaptation. Tessa is not introduced as a simple hero. She is confident in a system that rewarded her until she needed that system to protect her.
The film adds a full supporting cast
Susanna White directs from Miller’s screenplay. Daniel Ings plays Julian, while the wider cast includes Toheeb Jimoh, Noma Dumezweni, Simon Russell Beale, Elizabeth Dulau, Harry Treadaway, Sarah Junillon and Elliot Levey.
The film runs 106 minutes and was made in the United Kingdom and Australia. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival before joining the BFI London Film Festival program.
Who’s who in Prima Facie
The trailer gives Erivo long stretches without a speech explaining every emotion. A look across a room or a pause before an answer carries the fear that Tessa cannot show inside court. Those quiet moments are more important than the dramatic legal language around them.
It also keeps the focus on Tessa instead of turning the case into a mystery. The audience sees what happened; the tension comes from watching a proven advocate discover how difficult the truth can be to carry into court.
No United States theatrical date has been announced. The confirmed November 13 date applies to the UK and Ireland. The Prima Facie movie page has the current cast, runtime, filmmakers and release details.
