After a brutal first scene showing the violent beating of a man by teenage boys, you very quickly get the idea that this is not going to be the Welsh version of Love Actually.

More suited to the title of Grim Mostly, we are dragged into the life of Leigh-Anne (James), whose life living on government assistance with her baby, Rebecca, is somewhat more than difficult.

Nights without electricity or a fridge in her damp flat, are made worse by the berating of her "concerned" would-be mother-in-law Annette, played by a quite convincingly Welsh, Brenda Blethyn.

Not exactly what you'd call the shy and retiring type, the rage-filled teenage mum hangs around with a gang of guys, whose time is spent drinking, messing around and harassing the local minorities.

Across the road, neighbour Hassan (Oliver Haden) is Turkish and the relationship he shares with his daughter Julie (Sara Gregory), reminds Leigh-Anne of everything she lacks, including parents and real affection.

When her baby's future appears threatened, Hassan becomes the target of her pent up anger and humiliation.

Driven by racial hatred and an inability to escape their dead-end community, the four teenagers seal their fate in a moment of ferocity.

Instead of going down the route of portraying a fully sympathetic working-class heroine, Asante seems to take Leigh-Anne's character to the point of repulsion, even portraying a scene where she pimps a schoolgirl to an older man in a pub, in a desperate effort to get the money to put her electricity back on.

Steadily building towards the climax shown in the opening scene, it's a striking note that what seemed incredibly brutal at the start of the film now seems on par with the general brutality of the world to which we've been introduced.

James' handling of a near unbearable character is absolutely absorbing. She manages to encompass and balance the brutality of Leigh-Anne's character with the unconditional love she has towards her child.

With an excellent score from David Gray, it's an attention grabber if you're up for a bit of grit and reality, but don't expect any happy endings.

Vickie Juett.