Jackie (Nadine Marshall) is expecting her second child but the maths doesn’t quite add up. It’s been months since she last slept with her husband Mark (Idris Elba), so she knows it can’t be his. But she also knows she hasn’t been with anyone else.
That’s the intriguing premise of Second Coming, the remarkable feature debut from BAFTA Awardwinning television director and playwright Debbie Tucker Green. Prior to Jackie’s discovery, she, Mark and son JJ (Kai Francis-Lewis) are a close-knit middle-class family living in London. And then comes Jackie’s seemingly immaculate conception. Afraid of Mark’s reaction, she says nothing. But she knows it’s only a matter of time until she can’t conceal the truth any more. When that moment does arrive, its effect is profound. And what happens next will take both characters and audience by surprise.
Bolstered by the outstanding performances of Marshall and Elba, Second Coming is a provocative, allegorically loaded conversation-starter that you won’t soon forget.
Cameron Bailey
Toronto International Film Festival
Please note that the festival is over 18s only
