Samantha Morton’s “The Unloved”

The Unloved (2009)

Semi-autobiographical directorial debut from Samantha Morton is an accomplished and powerful film with a terrific lead performance by Molly Windsor which is on a par with the lauded, recently released “The Quiet Girl”

Semi-autobiographical directorial debut from Samantha Morton is an accomplished and powerful film with a terrific lead performance by Molly Windsor. Morton’s own experiences feed into the palpable sincerity of this work unjustly denied the wide cinematic release it deserved. An ideal companion to the recent The Quiet Girl for which this shares commonality in topic and tone, The Unloved premiered on British television and has been labelled a “television movie” but this is cinematic in every sense. What does that label even mean? It’s like “elevated horror” which essentially means horror.

Its haunting and sparse soundtrack, sublime visuals and quiet moments of tender beauty are so heartfelt, it deserves its place among the best movies ever made.