The Unloved
| The Unloved | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Written by | Samantha Morton Tony Grisoni |
| Directed by | Samantha Morton |
| Starring | Molly Windsor Susan Lynch Robert Carlyle Lauren Socha Michael Socha Craig Parkinson |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Running time | 106 minutes |
| Budget | £1.5 million |
| Original release | |
| Network | Channel 4 |
| Release | 17 May 2009 |
The Unloved is a British television film starring Molly Windsor, Robert Carlyle, Susan Lynch and Lauren Socha. It is about an eleven-year-old girl called Lucy (Windsor) growing up in a children's home in the UK's care system, and shown through her perspective. It is the directorial debut of Golden Globe Award-winning and two-time Academy Award-nominated actress Samantha Morton.[1] The story is semi-autobiographical,[2] Morton wrote and produced the film in collaboration with screenwriter Tony Grisoni.
It was produced for Channel 4 and shown as part of its Britain's Forgotten Children series,[3] and was first broadcast on 17 May 2009.[4] The film drew an audience of two million viewers.[4] It had a premiere at the 2009 Toronto International Film Festival and received a limited release in 2010.[5][6]
Cast
- Molly Windsor – Lucy
- Susan Lynch – Mother
- Robert Carlyle – Father
- Lauren Socha – Lauren
- Craig Parkinson – Ben
- Andrea Lowe – Vicky
- Kerry Stacey – Social worker
- Michael Socha – Michael
- Katie Withers – Jules
Production
Filmed entirely on location in Morton's hometown of Nottingham, the film cost £1.5 million to make.[7] The title of the film was inspired by a newspaper article Morton had read about children in the foster care system.[8] Morton spent time in other cities such as Newcastle, Glasgow and around London although decided it was best to make a film about the world she knew and grew up in. Originally wanting to set the film in 1989, Morton later decided against it as she wanted to focus on the struggles of the present day and not want audiences to write it off as a historical piece.[9]
Awards
The film won Robert Carlyle a Scottish BAFTA for best TV actor in November 2009.[10] On 10 May 2010 it was announced that the film had been nominated for 'Best Single Drama'; Lauren Socha was nominated for a BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress.[11] On 6 June 2010, The Unloved won the BAFTA for Best Single Drama.[12]
Critical reception
The Telegraph's Michael Deacon gave the film a positive review describing it as "Riveting" and "Powerful from start to finish"; On the other hand, he stated the film was "Stomach churning" and "Hard to watch"; however to his surprise he could not take his eyes off the film and praised Morton on creating an "Intense" and "Vivid" dramatic film. [citation needed]
Home media
As of May 2011, the show is available on DVD from Oscilloscope.[13]
References
- ^ Chater, David (16 May 2009). "Sunday's Top TV". Times Online. London. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "Why everyone should watch The Unloved". Times Online blogs: Alpha Mummy. 18 May 2009. Archived from the original on 22 May 2009. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ "Britain's Forgotten Children". Channel 4. Retrieved 17 May 2009.
- ^ a b Dowell, Ben (18 May 2009). "Samantha Morton directing debut The Unloved draws 2 million viewers". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 18 May 2009.
- ^ Leader, Michael (22 February 2010). "The Unloved review". Den of Geek. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ Foote, John (18 September 2009). "TIFF: Samantha Morton Impresses With 'The Unloved'". Screen Rant. Retrieved 27 October 2017.
- ^ "The Unloved: An Interview with Samantha Morton". Birds Eye View. 15 February 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Nottingham takes starring role in Sam Morton drama". This is Nottingham. 2 May 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ "TV Scoop interview: Samantha Morton, The Unloved". TV Scoop. 15 May 2009. Retrieved 7 June 2010.
- ^ "In the Loop scoops Scots Baftas". BBC News. 9 November 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2009.
- ^ "BAFTA nominations". Archived from the original on 23 August 2010.
- ^ "Bafta TV Awards 2010: The winners". BBC. 6 June 2010. Retrieved 18 November 2020.
- ^ "Oscilloscope".
External links
- The Unloved at IMDb
