Where do we draw the line between a white lie, an infidelity and a Trumpian fantasy? When does being economical with the truth become a betrayal? Can we keep a secret without it corroding our sense of self and poisoning our relationships?
These are the questions writer-director Zinnie Harris threads through The Scent of Roses, a restless, squirming quest for the truth – or if not that, then at least a conversation about the truth. Sometimes funny, frequently disorientating, it is a bold drama that worries away at its theme to create a compelling study of evasion and responsibility.
