A film adaptation of the acclaimed stage play "Prima Facie" has premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, starring Cynthia Erivo as Tessa, a barrister who specialises in defending men accused of sexual assault before becoming a victim of rape herself. Unlike Jodie Comer's celebrated one-woman stage version, which won an Olivier and a Tony, this cinematic adaptation opens up the story into a more conventional courtroom drama, using extensive voiceover to preserve the interiority that defined the original. Reviewers suggest the shift from stage to screen is an uneven gamble that struggles to recapture the power of the live production.

The plot follows Tessa as she begins a relationship with colleague Julian (Daniel Ings), which turns into an assault one night after she becomes ill from drinking. She reports it as rape, prompting a professional and personal fallout, and years later the case reaches trial, forcing her to experience the very legal tactics she once used against other alleged victims. Simon Russell Beale plays the defence barrister who challenges her credibility and motives, while director Susanna White aims to portray the incident with moral complexity rather than as straightforwardly black and white.