Powerful and moving drama from debut director Carine Adler, heavily influenced by Estella Welldon's book on female sexuality, 'Mother, Madonna, Whore'. This tells the bittersweet tale of Iris (Samantha Morton), a woman who feels that those closest to her - her steady boyfriend Gary (Matthew Delamere), her self-obsessed pregnant sister Rose (Claire Rushbrook) and her beloved mother (Rita Tushingham) - all ignore her. But when her mother suddenly dies, Iris's world falls apart and she quickly spirals into a self-destructive lifestyle, leaving her job and Gary, moving into a dingy bedsit and suddenly indulging in promiscuous sex. Rose tries to help financially but their relationship becomes even more strained when Iris not only loses their mother's ashes but she tries to seduce her brother-in-law Frank (Mark Womack). Full of memorable lines, sparks of humour and touching scenes, this film really gains its magic from the way Morton lights up the screen with a memorable and stunning performance. Worth recording, watching and keeping.

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