SnoopyStyle
Lucy (Molly Windsor) is eleven years old living with her abusive father (Robert Carlyle). She is put into foster care and faces a chaotic unloving system. Her roommate is 16 year old Lauren (Lauren Socha). Lauren runs away taking the quiet Lucy with her. They get into trouble with the police and brought back to the home.It's an impressive directorial debut from Samantha Morton. The tone is very haunting. The young girl is put to the great use by keeping her mostly silent. It permits the audience to inhabit her character. Lauren Socha is also quite effective as the teen delinquent character. The biggest drawback is the long running time. This movie could be even better distilled into a tighter pace. Morton seems to be indulging a little too much in long ambling scenes.
Sindre Kaspersen
English actress Samantha Morton's directorial debut which she co-wrote with British screenwriter Tony Grisoni, is a British television film which was screened at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. It was shot entirely on location in Nottingham. It tells the story about eleven-year-old Lucy who lives with her father in an apartment in England. After an incident where Lucy's father beats her, she contacts social services who sends her off to a children's home for orphans and troubled teens. At the institution she meets an older girl named Lauren who she has to share room with. At first Lauren acts with hostility towards Lucy, but after a while she begins to care for her and becomes a kind of guardian.This fictional independent drama which takes a sharp-minded look at the care system in the UK is a subtly and acutely directed British production narrated from the point of view of the protagonist, which examines themes such as child neglect, alienation, coming-of-age, interpersonal relations and friendship. Samantha Morton's minimalistic study of character draws an intimate and heartrending portrayal of an adolescent girl who finds herself lost in a care system which treats her much like her parents, whom she yearns for every single minute of every single day, by pushing her away.The fine cinematography by Tom Townend, the efficient use of sound and the naturalistic milieu depictions emphasizes the poignant atmosphere in this finely tuned, character-driven and semi-autobiographical film which is impelled and reinforced by débutant Molly Windsor, Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, Northern Irish actress Susan Lynch and débutant Lauren Socha's authentic acting performances. A compassionate and commendable feature film debut.
Mark Price
Watched this last night knowing it would stir up all the emotions you can imagine when dealing with the abuse of children and to be honest I was hoping it would be rubbish so I would have the excuse of stopping watching. Well it was powerful stuff, understated drama without being overly dramatic. You wanted to reach out and hug the girl, buy her clean clothes, give her so called carers an earful not for not caring but for not paying attention. If the system is in any part like this, and I'm sure it is, then those in the business should get a wake up call from watching this in learning what not to do. Samantha Morton can be proud of this work as a directorial debut and I am sure it was cathartic based on her childhood as she was in care until 16. Molly Windsor is excellent in the role as the child. Robert Carlyle's is quality as usual
political-terror
Congratulations to first time director Samantha Morton and Channel 4 for showcasing this magically poignant portrait of a maltreated child suffering the indignities of Britain's under-resourced care system.Star: Molly Windsor delivers a masterful evocation. The Unloved avoids the inherent pitfalls of such difficult subject matter.Morton herself went through care, but this is no angry rant against her experiences, but an enlightening reconstruction of events exorcised through a perceptive and beguiling work of artistry.Strong support from co-stars Robert Carlyle and Susan Lynch as Molly's estranged and troubled parents seeking personal redemption for the hurt caused and subsequent loss of their angelic daughter.I can only hope this is not the only helmed piece Samantha Morton brings to this world, as she is indeed a talented voice in a world of increasingly entertainment driven indifference to the bigger issues which surround and impact upon us all. This cinematic picture should have been given a much deserved big-screen distribution.Assured best new British drama since Red Ridding.
AD
