Review Roundup: PRIMA FACIE Film Starring Cynthia Erivo Premieres in Toronto

The film adaptation of Prima Facie, starring Cynthia Erivo, made its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, which is taking place from September 10 - 20, 2026. What did the critics think? Read the reviews for the film below!

In addition to starring in Prima Facie, Erivo also executive produces the project through her banner, Edith's Daughter. Susanna White directs from a screenplay by Prima Facie playwright Suzie Miller, who has adapted the play for the screen.

The story of Prima Facie follows Tessa (Erivo) who has worked her way up from working-class origins to be at the top of her game; defending; cross examining and winning, until an unexpected event forces her to confront the lines where the patriarchal power of the law, burden of proof and morals diverge.

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Pete Hammond, Deadline: Erivo, as she proved in Harriet, is a fine dramatic actor and does what she can with the ambiguity of a role where the legal chairs are suddenly shuffled. The rest of the cast is also fine including Ings who believably demonstrates why Tessa could fall for Julian. The problem is he doesn’t ever come off dark enough to indicate he is hiding some sort of alternate villainous personality capable of intentional sexual assault. Am I missing something? I didn’t see the play. Maybe it was presented differently there. The impact of a one person stage play, versus a fully opened up film version can be a wide chasm.

Caryn James, The Hollywood Reporter: Suzie Miller wrote the screenplay, expanding on her one-woman stage version, which won the 2023 Olivier for Best New Play, along with the Best Actress Olivier and a Tony for Jodie Comer, and its easy to see how well it might have worked in the theater with a galvanizing performance. But there is no use sugar-coating the huge disappointment the film turns out to be.

William Bibbiani, The Wrap: It’s a dignified production. White directs “Prima Facie” with a sharp focus on the story’s themes, carefully manipulating the cold visual palette to create converse images of security and instability, Tessa’s life before and her life after. The performances are admirable and strum meaningful chords. That the film doesn’t have the same impact as the play was a given, and probably unavoidable. Comparing it to the play is also unavoidable, and possibly not wholly fair, but it’s hard to ignore that “Prima Facie” in its original form is an emotional lightning strike and this film is more like thunder.

Richard Lawson, The Guardian: Erivo approaches the role with a focused rigor and yet she oddly doesn’t have all that much to play. Perhaps part of the problem is that the film makes a three-year time jump from the police report to the trial, which means we’ve no time to sit in the long fallout of the incident, to watch Erivo evolve her characterization as Tessa passes through the crucible of processing what has happened to her. The film becomes quite procedural, slowing down for a long recounting of what we just saw; an Olivier-winning play somehow reduced to Law & Order blandness.

Gregory Ellwood, The Playlist: As you’d expect, Erivo is game and committed. She is very, very good. Never over-dramatizing the proceedings and giving the big courtroom speech you’ll see coming a mile away the gutso it needs. But she doesn’t necessarily elevate the material either (nor should she have to). Remember earlier in this review when we mentioned how you’d never think this movie originated as a play? That’s because for most of “Prima,” it has the aesthetic of a conventional, prestige streaming movie (you know what we’re talking about). If that’s where it ends up (in the U.S. at least), “Prima” may have a genuine impact with a wide audience.

Rendy Jones, Rendy Reviews: Prima Facie is another demonstration of Cynthia Erivo’s exemplary power. As Tessa, she textures a lived-in, flourishing character. In the scenes laying out her personal and professional life, Erivo effortlessly switches from a force to be reckoned with to intimate tenderness, a resounding vulnerability, and humanity. When she has to face her trauma during the trial scenes and, of course, the distressing dissociative state in the graphic depiction of her rape, she delivers a shattering portrayal. Sometimes, the movie itself impedes her performance, as it insists on unnecessary metaphorical imagery of shattered glass when her subtle facial cues are all you need to note her emotional distress. 

J Don Birnam, Next Best Picture: Erivo delivers a confident performance that is far more credible than the material she is handed. She is almost acting within acting – she knows that as a female lawyer of color she must demonstrate restraint that her other colleagues do not. Juries, judges, and her own colleagues are silently skeptical of her, but they also expect Tessa’s confidence and conviction as a lawyer. Erivo straddles this impossibly thin line marvelously, and when the movie’s tone shifts dramatically from rom-com to legal procedural she maintains her steady hand.

News Desk, SSBCrack: Despite its well-meaning intentions, the cinematic rendition is marred by an array of missteps, including a heavy-handed approach to voiceovers, overt visual symbolism, and a conclusion that lacks subtlety. Yet, amidst the muddle, there remain some powerful performances from supporting actors and a compelling middle act that hints at the film’s potential.

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