In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia and missing her special friend Jennifer Dodd. The bitter, cynical and lonely Barbara Covett (Judi Dench) is a tough and conservative teacher near to retirement that is loathed by her colleagues and students. I know you! Selfish and vain, you think you have a divine right! You don't belong in the world, you belong here! You big baby! I was the idiot who bothered, but only because no one told me you're a fucking vampire! So what is it, Bar? You want to roll around the floor like lovers? You want to fuck me, Barbara?īarbara Covett: Please don't diminish our.īarbara Covett: Give it back. You're nothing but waste and disappointment! You bitter old virgin. Sheba Hart: We're not companions! We're not friends! You don't even like me!īarbara Covett: That's not true, I only have tender feelings for you, only love! Sheba Hart: You think this is a love affair? A relationship? What, sticky gold stars, and - and a strand of my hair? A sticker from Pizza Express? It's a flat in the Archway Road and you think you're Virginia frigging Woolf! And where did you get my hair? Did you pluck it from the bath with some special fucking tweezers?īarbara Covett: You know it's rude to read a person's diary, it's private! Sheba Hart: You put me in prison, I could get TWO years!īarbara Covett: They'll fly by! I'll visit you every week! We've so much life to live together! Sheba Hart: You think I wanted to be here with you?īarbara Covett: You need me, I'm your friend! Sheba Hart: Because I didn't help you collect your cat?īarbara Covett: No, no, take some responsibility! I gave you EXACTLY what you wanted! You'd still be stuck in that marriage without me.īarbara Covett: You can't accept it yet, but. And Ben, and Polly, that I'd be happier without them. Sheba Hart: What you say about me, about Richard - you're not fit to shine his shoes. Claudio Carvalho, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil When Portia dies and Sheba does not stay with Barbara in the veterinary office to see Ben in a theater play, Barbara plots a Machiavellian revenge against Sheba, creating a scandal and consequent turmoil in their lives. Barbara becomes close to Sheba, but when she accidentally discovers that Sheba is having an affair with fifteen-year-old student Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson), Barbara sees the chance to manipulate and get closer to Sheba, hiding the secret from the school headmaster. Sheba introduces her husband and former professor Richard Hart (Bill Nighy), who is about twenty years older than her her rebellious teenager daughter Polly (Juno Temple) and her son Ben (Max Lewis), who has Down's Syndrome. When Barbara helps Sheba in a difficult situation with two students, the grateful Sheba invites her to have lunch with her family. When Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett) joins the high school as the new art teacher, Barbara dedicates her attention to the newcomer, writing sharp and unpleasant comments about her behavior and clothes. In the loneliness of her apartment, she spends her spare time writing in her journal, taking care of her old cat Portia, and missing her special friend Jennifer Dodd. Bitter, cynical, and lonely Barbara Covett (Dame Judi Dench) is a tough and conservative teacher, near to retirement, who is loathed by her colleagues and students.