Absolutely brilliant

Tells a fascinating and unsettling true story, and does so well, without pretending to have all the answers.

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

The storyline feels a little thin and moth-eaten in parts but this sequel is plenty of fun.

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.

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.

...but perhaps that was the point in this melancholic writing/directorial debut from Samantha "The Messenger" Morton, who was apparently exorcising some demons. More power to her, and to the unwanted children this film so obviously champions. Happily, cinemaphiles will find much to admire in the acting, especially that of newcomer Molly Windsor--who will surely be someone to watch should she pursue the craft--and much of the photography and lighting is quite beautiful, but I'll be the first to admit that this one can be a tough slog, as the pace is quite restrained, undoubtedly deliberately so. "The Unloved" is a character-driven polemic, perhaps almost too didactic for its own good, and doesn't sport much in the way of mainstream appeal (much like its subject, I suppose). Still, it's a very well done piece, and worth a viewing, if only to remind yourself that it's a very good thing to not be one of the unloved in this world. I look forward to Ms. Morton tackling something else from the distaff side of the lens, but hope it will be something a little more energetic.

English actress Samantha Morton's directorial debut which she co-wrote with British screenwriter Tony Grisoni, is a British television film which was screened at the 34th Toronto International Film Festival in 2009. It was shot entirely on location in Nottingham. It tells the story about eleven-year-old Lucy who lives with her father in an apartment in England. After an incident where Lucy's father beats her, she contacts social services who sends her off to a children's home for orphans and troubled teens. At the institution she meets an older girl named Lauren who she has to share room with. At first Lauren acts with hostility towards Lucy, but after a while she begins to care for her and becomes a kind of guardian.This fictional independent drama which takes a sharp-minded look at the care system in the UK is a subtly and acutely directed British production narrated from the point of view of the protagonist, which examines themes such as child neglect, alienation, coming-of-age, interpersonal relations and friendship. Samantha Morton's minimalistic study of character draws an intimate and heartrending portrayal of an adolescent girl who finds herself lost in a care system which treats her much like her parents, whom she yearns for every single minute of every single day, by pushing her away.The fine cinematography by Tom Townend, the efficient use of sound and the naturalistic milieu depictions emphasizes the poignant atmosphere in this finely tuned, character-driven and semi-autobiographical film which is impelled and reinforced by débutant Molly Windsor, Scottish actor Robert Carlyle, Northern Irish actress Susan Lynch and débutant Lauren Socha's authentic acting performances. A compassionate and commendable feature film debut.