Bogged down by extra padding and a poorly crafted narrator, Miller’s book dilutes the potency of the original, and diminishes its scope Suzie Miller’s acclaimed 2019 play Prima Facie was a visceral exposé of the cruelty of due process in rape trials that has, on any analysis, been tremendously successful. It has been staged in more than 50 countries, won countless awards and been adapted into a film starring Cynthia Erivo; it has been used to educate judges and even resulted in changes to jury directions in rape trials, energising debate about better outcomes for survivors. Miller is a prolific playwright (her latest of more than 40 plays, Strong is the New Pretty is currently touring Australia), and Inter Alia, which premiered at London’s National Theatre in 2025, picks up themes that animated Prima Facie. The 2025 production starred Rosamund Pike as Jessica Parks: a feminist judge whose ethics are shaken when her 18-year-old son is accused of sexual assault. Pike gives a captivating performance of a desperate and disoriented woman working within a broken justice system. From the bench, Jessica has watched in dismay as defence lawyers exploit loopholes to keep their clients out of jail in rape trials. But when her son is accused, inconsistencies in the testimony of a traumatised victim give Jessica reason to hope he will be let off. Continue reading...
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