Race, Empire and a Scandalous Awakening: The Education of Jane Cumming

Thoughtful, candid cinema by Sophie Heldman rethinks the 1810 Scotch libel case behind The Children’s Hour, centering two Edinburgh teachers and a mixed‑race pupil who fabricates a sexual story. The film uses the court drama to explore how racism and empire complicate justice, with the teachers’ relationship emerging only after the scandal, offering a sharper, more modern critique of the original film’s discreet treatment of sexuality.