Cheat (2019)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cheat – a miniseries in four parts – is a psychological thriller which premiered on British television (ITV) in 2019.

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Director: Louise Hooper

** Writer: Gaby Hull

** Run time: 4 x ca. 45 minutes = ca. 180 minutes

 

The cast includes the following:

 

The first group

** Katherine Kelly as Leah Dale – a teacher

** Tom Goodman-Hill as Adam Dale – a teacher – Leah’s husband

** Peter Firth as Michael Dale – Leah’s father

** Lorraine Ashbourne as Angela Dale – Leah’s mother

 

The second group

** Molly Windsor as Rose Vaughan – a student

** Michael Adrian Edmondson as William Vaughan – Rose’s father

** Parker Sawyers as Stephen – a teacher – Leah’s colleague

** Burn Gorman as Ben – a janitor

** Jimmy Akingbola as Detective Inspector Hammond

 

I do not wish to spoil the viewing for anyone. Therefore, I am not going to reveal too much about what happens in this thriller. I will merely tell you where the story takes place and how it begins:

 

The story is set in and around Cambridge University which offers a beautiful location for this thriller.

 

Leah is a young teacher at this famous university. She is hoping to get a permanent position (tenure) before long. Her father was a professor at the university. He has just retired. Her husband is also a teacher at the university.

 

Rose is a student in Leah’s class. Her father is a rich man who has made large donations to the university. Rose is often late for class. And her work seems to be average. But one day she hands in her dissertation. It is good. So good that Leah thinks something is wrong here.

 

Leah suspects that Rose did not write this dissertation herself. She thinks it is a case of plagiarism. But when she confronts Rose with this charge, Rose denies it vehemently. The story begins with a conflict between a teacher and a student. And from this point the conflict escalates.

 

This is how the story begins and this is where my presentation ends. I will, however, add one more piece of information:

 

Nothing is what is seems to be at first glance.

 

What do reviewers say about this thriller?

 

Here are the results of two review aggregators:

 

** 67 per cent = IMDb

** 83 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the audience)

** 89 per cent = Rotten Tomatoes (the critics)

 

As you can see, the ratings are quite good. I understand the numerous positive reviews and I agree with them.

 

Why?

 

I have three reasons:

 

# 1. The script is well-written and the actors play their roles well.

# 2. The story is captivating, dramatic and often highly emotional.

# 3. While fictional, the story is placed in a realistic and current context.

 

I want to go all the way to the top with this product. I think it deserves a rating of five stars (100 percent).

 

PS. Molly Windsor (born 1997) appeared in Oranges and Sunshine (2010). She is best known for her role in the miniseries Three Girls which premiered on British television (BBC) in 2017.

 

She also appears in the television series Traces which premiered on British television (ITV) in 2019.

 

*****

Cheat

A psychological drama

(ITV, 2019)

The names of the actors are misplaced

In the photo, Molly Windsor is on the left.

But her name is written on the right!

In the photo, Katherine Kelly is on the right.

But her name is written on the left!

This is a common mistake

when posters for movies are created

 

*****