Red Joan (2019)

This was a good, little film.
It tells the story of Joan Stanley (Judi Dench) who is arrested after the death of former foreign secretary William Mitchell (Freddie Gaminara) and revealed to be a former spy for the KGB. Her adult son, Nick (Ben Miles) is shocked speechless.
The majority film is told through the flashbacks of young Joan Smith (Sophie Cookson) as she navigates Cambridge in the late 1930s, studying physics. She does befriend some communists and falls madly and foolishly in love with one of the leaders, Leon (Tom Hughes) and their affair continues for years. But it isn't until the world is at war that she starts giving state secrets to the Russians. Keep in the mind that though Stalin was in charge of Russia and he was a dreadfully nasty man, Russia was on the same side as Britain but there were many secrets between the two countries. Joan is now working at a government lab which is working on developing a nuclear weapon and though she is vital in helping it be created, she feels that it is too powerful for only a select few countries to have. She knows how deadly it can be and never wants it to be used. So she slips secrets to the Soviets and holds on to everything until her boss, Max (Stephen Campbell Moore) whom she is now sleeping with, is arrested. She blackmails William into escape and the two go to Australia but does return to England, eventually.
Sure, her motives might have been in the right place (personally, I don't trust anyone to have access to nuclear weapons), but she nevertheless betrayed her country. In the end, her age saved her. Charges were not brought against her because she was so old.
The film was good. Not as good as The Imitation Game or anything, but worthwhile and important after all. The performances were solid though Dench should not have received top billing as her role was small but Cookson was brilliant. And the story is solid. The only problem is Nick's change of heart, but I am glad he stood with his mother, she risked her life for what she believed in and not many people do that. Grade: B+
Side Notes:
-Once again, sleeping with your cousin is disgusting. Here Leon and his cousin, Sonia (Tereza Srbova) not only have sex but also reproduce. However, I'm not entirely if they actually were cousins or if that was part of their cover.
-This film is one of the few who mentions feminine products and for that, I give it a lot of credit.
-Why does Sonia take Joan's mink coat?
-William marries his secretary as a cover for his homosexuality.
-Just as Sonia says, no one suspects Joan could have done anything as she is only a woman.