Fridae

We just love watching women behave badly � and when those women are played by the extraordinary Judi Dench and Cate Blanchett, the catfight couldn't be better. Both women received Oscar nominations for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress for their roles respectively.

Cate plays the new and hip art teacher at a London school who is married with kids. Judi plays her colleague, a history teacher and a closet lesbian who quickly falls for the beautiful Cate. However, Cate makes the mistake of having a steamy affair with her underage student (twinky Andrew Simpson). So when Judi catches them having sex together, she agrees to keep it a secret as long as Cate becomes her "friend".

It sounds simple. But the truth is, Judi wants more than Cate's friendship. She wants to control Cate, manipulate her, and ultimately possess her. And when her plans don't quite go as expected, the film's high-tension drama turns into a gripping thriller filled with wicked twists and turns.

The performances by these two actresses are absolutely amazing. Judi has the difficult job of humanizing her bitter, sexually-frustrated lesbian character. But she succeeds admirably, imbuing her with sass, smarts and sympathy. Is it any wonder that in the past eight years, Judi has garnered five Oscar nominations (and won one statue for 1998's Shakespeare In Love)?

Meanwhile, Cate has three Oscar nominations to her name (winning one for 2004's The Aviator). She has never looked sexier than she does in this film, as it constantly bathes her in a golden light to amplify her status as the object of Judi's desire. And even though she plays an unfaithful wife and immoral teacher, Cate manages to make you like her anyway.

Directed by Richard Eyre and adapted from Zoe Heller's novel by the terrific playwright Patrick Marber (Closer), Notes on a Scandal is a must-see. It may only be February, but we're already guessing that this will be the best lesbian film of 2007.