In the tradition of all great British dramas, Samantha Morton's directorial debut, The Unloved, is grim, grey and marginally upsetting. It's terrifically well-acted, too, in the way that at no point do the performances feel performed - made in the social-realist style of Ken Loach or Shane Meadows, plot is minimal, but character is paramount, with the actors making their roles feel lived-in. Of the names in the cast, there's perhaps only one you'll recognise - Robert Carlyle plays the absent father to Lucy (Molly Windsor), an 11-year-old girl placed in the UK's foster care system - but it's Windsor, and the phenomenal Lauren Socha as Lucy's volatile new roommate, who stand out. Heavily autobiographical (The Unloved reflects Morton's own childhood spent in foster care, and Windsor even bears a strong resemblance to the writer/director), the film provides the kind of understated, humanist drama that British cinema does so well. Only Morton did it for the small screen, at a fraction of the usual cost. And though talented as an actress, it's a shame Morton hasn't returned to the director's chair since The Unloved - the confidence of the movie, which has a style of Morton's own already set out, belies the fact that this is only her debut.
Lover of film, writer of words, pretentious beyond belief. Thinks Scorsese and Kubrick are the kings of cinema, but PT Anderson and David Fincher are the dashing young princes. Follow Brogan on twitter if you can take shameless self-promotion: @BroganMorris1
