The Unloved
The Unloved gives a child's eye view of the U.K.'s government-run care system for orphans and children in danger. The child is Lucy, a 11-years-old living with her father who often abuses her.
5 June 1971, Corrinshego, Newry, Northern Ireland, UK
1 May 1975, Arnold, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
14 April 1961, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
1971, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire, England, UK
February 19, 2010
The climactic scene, in which Morton's heroine confronts her mum, is one of the most quietly gut-wrenching things I've seen in years.
February 19, 2010
This is clearly a very personal film; sensibly sustained through a vérité aesthetic that keeps the narrative potent, but not overbearing.
June 18, 2010
The Unloved is a promising debut for director Morton, but it's sometimes too sensitive where it should be insightful.
February 19, 2010
It's commanding, committed and sometimes too chilly to truly engage, but it's also heartfelt, powerful stuff - especially in Lauren Socha's passionate, painful performance as Lucy's lost-cause roommate.
February 19, 2010
Poignant, perceptive and unrelenting, this may be bleak, like all great drama, it is ultimately uplifting as well.
May 30, 2011
As an overall representation of horrors, neglect, and personal solace, it's frustratingly static, often preferring the cool waters of esoteric cinema to something more charged and insightful.
February 19, 2010
The camera is held at kiddie height, the close-ups are all Lucy's, and the adult world is viewed with deep suspicion as a cold and unforgiving place. It's a tough watch, and justifiably uncompromising.
February 23, 2010
Morton shows a remarkable confidence as director of this intensely personal drama, which is loosely based on her own experiences.
February 19, 2010
Funny, real, poetic and frightening, not the gruelling tract about neglect you might expect.
February 19, 2010
Actress Samantha Morton's powerful directorial debut is an often painfully sad account of a young girl's experiences.
February 19, 2010
Windsor's taciturn and stoic central performance is both haunting and affecting, framed by Morton's deliberate, even stately direction.
February 19, 2010
Realised with impeccable craftsmanship, Samantha Morton's directorial debut never puts a foot wrong dramatically, although its unflinching stare at a young life stymied by neglect offers little in the way of comfort.
