User reviews

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.

Samantha Morton's passion for this story is evident in the purposeful construction of the film. At first you will wonder what in the world is happening, but as the film develops you will start to understand that the lingering cuts are drawing you into Lucy's world. Molly Windsor does an incredible job of portraying the innocent little observer who is thrust into a wildly different world when she is forced to move into a group home. Still sleeping with her teddy bear she has to room with Lauren, a rebellious teen who takes Lucy along with her shoplifting, partying, etc. The film is a bit sad and doesn't really offer any solution and so you are left feeling sorry for Lucy and hoping she will not succumb to the temptations around her and last probably until she ages out of the system. Hopefully what this film can do is bring awareness to problems in the social service system not only in the UK, but everywhere and perhaps kind hearted people will be stirred to help these children.

Almost the British Florida Project. Good music choices. I'm a fan of the extended closeup without dialogue, and Molly Windsor was able to convey so much with her eyes in many of those. Recommend.

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

'The Unloved' is the result of actress Samantha Morton's first stab at directing, a story about growing up in a children's home, something she has experienced first hand. If she hadn't, you might wonder if it was exaggerated; if it isn't, it tells a grim and harrowing truth. Artistically, it's quite ambitious, eschewing emphasis on expository narrative in favour of giving a more impressionistic flavour of its central character's life - Morton appeared in Lynne Ramsey's film of 'Morvern Callar', and its tempting to assert one can detect the influence on her style. But there are also hints of Morton's inexperience behind the camera , in the way that her striking, set piece images are presented somewhat obviously, for example in the film's closing scene, where the entirety of a (sad) song is played over a wordless scene in advance of (rather than during) the credits: it's moving, but there's more to great film-making than the juxtapositioning of sad songs and pretty pictures. Still, on this evidence, Morton may get there: it will be interesting to see whether she is interested in directing on subjects less close to her own heart.

I know, because this was my childhood. I have never reviewed a movie on IMDb before, but this one touched me so deeply that I had to. Every actor in this is so phenomenally good that I never once felt like I was watching an actor. The editing, the direction, the soundtrack – all superb. Everything about this film is stunningly beautiful in a melancholy kind of way. It is the artful depiction of what I would like to believe of myself: that although my childhood circumstances were dire, my reflection of them and the character I've derived from them are beautiful. Thank you, sincerely, to everyone who brought this story to life.

IMDb suggested this movie to me somewhere along the line, and I added it to my watch list. I love watching movies about the foster care system simply because it is a life very different from my own, and as a writer the stories fascinate me. Intense emotion is essential for me in a book or movie, and for obvious reasons the abuse of children is sure to create that tone.

As my title suggests, The Unloved is okay, but not great. The acting is very well done, everyone is believable and fits very well into their roles. I was pleasantly surprised to find Lauren Socha, as I love the show Misfits. Her character added a small subplot, which helped with the pace of the film. The pace is where the film lost me. It started out pretty good, and had a few pops of intensity later on, but for the most part there was a lot of watching people stare off somewhere.

If, unlike me, you don't get bored by a lack of dialogue, then I would recommend it. If you're looking for something with really high emotion and a thick plot, I'd suggest skipping over this film.

I didn't regret it, but I won't be watching it again. 6/10

This U.S. gal is usually unable to stick with a flick in which most of the actors are so heavily accented that I can't clearly hear their dialog. While some of the spoken words were lost on me, many scenes lingered on way too long, and the story was almost too slow for me to finish, I did in fact finish. This was only because I was totally mesmerized by the performance of Molly Windsor as the lead character. She's now on my watch list!

Also, whoever controlled the lighting that was always on this girl's face did a stellar job! Every shot of Lucy was so beautiful and soft to look at, like looking at fine art. Very impressed with this young girl!

Picked it up via Netflix, taken in by the title and the image of the young girl on the cover.

This was so well-directed and acted that it seemed at times like a documentary. Avoiding any clichés and easy answers it was moving and compelling. Clearly Samantha Morton is going to be as great a director as she is an actress. The expressionistic filming style and the long static shots reminded me a bit of Lynne Ramsay's work, which is a compliment in itself! I wish it had been shown in cinemas, as it would have won many awards in my opinion. All the actors were great, as i said above so naturalistic that it seemed at times like watching a documentary. Great performances in particular from the little girl Lucy, and the troubled Lauren that she met whilst in the care home. Highly recommended.

With this film, Samantha Morton has done better than most actors-turned-directors, as she displays an understanding not just of the ways in which films make meaning and are experienced by their audience, but also of human behaviour and the way life itself unfolds. While similar subject matter has certainly been covered before in British films, from Ken Loach to Lynne Ramsay (from whom Morton seems to have learned cinematic pacing and how to "show and not tell"), this film is still able to give a fresh experience, just like how many people share very similar lives on the surface, yet each one is unique.

Without giving anything away plot-wise, the scenes which stand out for excellent direction, acting and pacing are the opening one between the main character and her father, another later on between these same characters in a pub, an outdoor rave, and a fight that breaks out between a group of adults who are supposed to be the responsible ones (though the beauty of the way this scene is handled lies in the fact that we can't be sure some of them *aren't* being responsible by doing what they're doing!).

The last shot could have been one of the stronger endings I've seen in recent cinema, but the music that plays over it detracts from the power it could have had - instead of allowing viewers to have their own individual reactions to this image (and there's enough power and emotion inherent in the situation that it would be nearly impossible not to experience something during this shot), the music tells us what the emotions are, through both instrumentation and lyrics. This serves to detach the audience somewhat from what we're seeing, instead of sucking us in like most of the film has already succeeded so well in doing.

I can only hope Morton directs another film in the (near) future.

I'm surprised to see so few reviews of this marvel. I also don't think this is a sad movie, unless you had a perfect childhood. Instead, it is reassuring and inspirational to find out that some have suffered more than us, and can put our imperfect pasts into perspective. The world is shown as seen solely through the eyes of the 11-year-old Lucy, who is almost merely an observer of her own life, with little dialogue and action in most parts; the script, the acting and the direction are as uncomplicated as they are powerful. Special mention should go to the lead actress: it is impossible to take your emotional eyes off Lucy at any time, and not to feel both the pains she suffers and the little joys she encounters; the longing for affection she endures and the masses of affection she radiates at the same time. The calm, humanity, love and care of Lucy's character are not diminished but instead reinforced by everything she goes through, and to that end she emerges triumphant from the film... and from life itself.

The necessary consequence of all this is that the screen writer-director deserves the highest level of admiration, for both her life and for the direction of this piece, and also a massive thanks for sharing a lot of herself in this powerful drama.

Picture starts with man having sent young girl to buy cigarettes which indicates he smokes around her, horrible. Social services gets her away of him but being incompetent they put her where she gets abused same. Turnt off the picture when the woman smoked around the little girl. Garbage evil trash picture.

This doesn't really have any plot twists, it'd basically a young girls journey through the care system. This drama will shatter any Tracy Beaker fantasy you've got of a UK care home. There's a lot of up north accents which is odd for a UK drama. The ending was a bit too depressing and the isolation Lucys character portrays is massive.

Ok, never mind the serious subject matter here. The movie definitely didn't address it in any meaningful manner, so you just need to try and enjoy it on it's merits as a film instead. Sadly there are no merits to extoll or expound upon. The young girl definitely shows promise as a powerful actress in the future, but not much was required of her in this dismal effort. The majority of the movie the camera was on her expressionless face, and it got old very fast. We get it. She has no personality or emotion, She's in a sad situation for sure, with worthless parents who are selfish to the extreme. Richard Carlyle dials in a pathetic performance as the Dad, but he does what the script requires I suppose. The dialogue between him and the mother is sappy, cliche and redundant eye rolling drivel. The situation in the group home doesn't ring true either, and the way everyone interracts is trite and overdone. The sexual relationship between staff and her roommate is so bad and obvious. Sorry but nothing worked effectively here, except for some nice shots of the city as the yound girl aimlessly wanders around. \i just got so sick of the camera being trained on the one character that everything else didn't even matter. The acting was decent and the music barely tolerable. It's the directing and writing that doomed this to forgettable status.

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.

Saw this on Channel 4 tonight. 2 key words: Bleak & beautiful.

The acting during the bust-up at the Christmas Party was very realistic. The last continuous shot of the young girl on the bus home was very poignant. That image really stays with you.

If Samantha is reading this: Congratulations and well done on this great film. The subject matter was presented 'just right'. Coleen's music felt really natural (and, never forced). If you never direct again, that's fine, you can be very proud of this. I understand completely that this was something felt you had to do - rather than it being 'another gig' (like most directors).

Can you please provide details of all the music used in the film. The end credits text (font) was so small, I could barely read it! The subtitles didn't note every song, either. In particular, I'd like to know the name of track used at the Christams party - the one with the dance-off.

Thank you. All the best for the future :) HP

Actress Samantha Morton's directorial debut The Unloved was watched by nearly 2 million viewers on Channel 4 last night, Sunday 17 May.

The critically acclaimed film about a girl's experiences in the care system, part of the broadcaster's Britain's Forgotten Children season, attracted a 1.9 million viewers and a 9% audience share between 9pm and 11.10pm. A further 101,000 watched on the catchup service Channel 4 +1 an hour later.

South Pacific on BBC2 was watched by 2.4 million viewers, a 10% share of the audience, between 8.30pm and 9.30pm.

This was followed on BBC2 by The Incredible Human Journey over the hour from 9.30pm, which averaged 2.3 million and an 11% share.