Harrowing, but something we need to learn from... (The Unloved (Channel 4))

Member Name: marymoose

Product:	The Unloved (Channel 4)
Date:	08/09/09 (144 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good acting, an important (although harrowing) story to be told .....

Disadvantages: A bit one sided? Might leave you upset/angry. Not available on DVD.

---Intro---
Finding that there was nothing to watch on TV I had a look at the stuff recorded on our Sky Box and came across "The Unloved", a film I vaguely remembered asking hubby to record after seeing a trailer - my kind of thing, certainly not hubby's, so good to watch when he's away!

Knowing nothing except that it was about a child in care I sat down expecting an emotional drama, and that's what I got.

The film is directed by Samantha Morton (who has personal experience of being in care which inspired her) as her debut film, and is a made for TV film, shown as part of 'Britain's forgotten children' season on Channel four. This was released in May 2009, and as of yet is not available on DVD, if it ever will be. But I'm sure it'll be repeated on Channel 4 at some point!



---The film---
The film begins...birds are singing in the background and a young girl is reading a passage from the Bible. The young girl is Lucy, the central character of the film, played by Molly Windsor.
The first image is of Lucy, lying at the bottom of the stairs, unconscious. We move to a scene where her father (Robert Carlyle) is angry with Lucy. Lucy was sent to the shops with £5 to buy cigarettes for him, but returned with nothing - no money, no fags. "That's all we had" the father shouts at Lucy. All Lucy can do is apologise, but a beating follows. This is cleverly directed as the horrific violence is not shown, but we can hear (and imagine) what is happening.

Lucy is in Year 6 (aged 11) at a local Catholic Primary school (religion isn't a main theme in the film, but it lurks in the background, particularly in the imagery used). We get the impression that she is a bit of a loner, mature beyond her years having been through a lot, and all she aims to do is get through each day rather than doing what 'normal' children do. Having had her latest beating Lucy requests to see her social worker. After a medical examination (again done behind closed doors) Lucy is taken to a Children's Home.

The first thing which struck me was the noise and chaos of the home - unruly children all vying for attention and care. We sense that what Lucy really needs is some calm, stability, care, physical affection, a hug perhaps.... Instead she's made to share a room with 16 year old Lauren (Laura Socha) with the most awful rap music playing on full volume.

Lucy and Lauren develop a close friendship. We never find out Lauren's history, but she's clearly been through a lot. Lauren takes Lucy out shopping (or shoplifting), and we're struck by the innocence of Lucy, still wearing her school uniform with long white socks (she has no other clothes), and streetwise Lauren. Perhaps Lauren is a symbol of how Lucy might end up in the future. What Lucy really wants is to live with her mother (Susan Lynch), but for various reasons this is something which isn't going to happen.

More sinister is what's going on in the Children's Home - the sexual relationship between Lauren and a social worker. We all know that abuse does go on in these institutions, and it's a horrific thought that those who are already abused and vulnerable are then violated further. To be honest the whole film doesn't really give a very good impression of the social care system. Despite a touching scene where Lucy is taken out to buy some clothes, in general the feeling given isn't one of care, it's one of chaos. This is perhaps quite a one-sided view, and while I've no personal experience, I imagine that there are many more positive stories which could be told as well.


---More about the film, and my thoughts---
The filming is excellent - contrasts of silence and noise, of beauty (in the scenery - particularly the sky) contrasted with ugliness.

The soundtrack music is haunting at times, it's a bit like a music box playing. There are a lot of times in the film where Lucy's wandering around, with background music playing. Some have criticised this and said that it is boring, or a waste of time - particularly the last scene in the film. However, I felt that these scenes gave me a chance to reflect on what was happening. At the end of the day this film doesn't tell everything, and there isn't really an ending - most is left to the imagination.

The young actress Molly Windsor is absolutely fantastic. I have mixed feelings about the fact that she is an attractive child. It does illicit sympathy, and thoughts about how can anyone abandon such a child - this is coupled with the fact that she is quiet, and a genuinely nice child. A fat, ugly and unruly child perhaps would not illicit this sympathy. But this is probably what is needed for the film.


---Concluding Remarks---
Watching this film reminds me of a similar made for TV film I watched back in1997 called "No Child of Mine" which has stayed in my mind ever since. That film was far more harrowing and had more shock value. However, "The Unloved" leaves a lot to the imagination in terms of what might happen in the future. Both films had the effect of making me think about the injustice in the world, and about parenting - how some people just should not be allowed to have children. But then also how much work needs to be done in terms of how we deal with those children who have been neglected by their parents, and I say "we" because I feel it is something which is our responsibility as humans.

There's no certificate for this film since it's made for TV. In an interview on Channel 4's website Samantha Morton said that she hoped 'kids' would be watching this (those who normally watch Eastenders) but I would imagine a 15 is appropriate, due to the themes involved, and particularly a glue sniffing scene. Perhaps I'm just getting old!

Visit www.channel4.com/programmes/the-unloved - to find out more about the film and read the interview with the director.

Keep an eye out for this when it's next shown!

Summary: Keep an eye out for this when it's next shown!