Unloved, The

I get that child abuse is an important topic, but there are soo many other movies that tell this story in a much better and more interesting way. The beginning was interesting and had me engaged, but most of the scenes in the middle made me want to fall asleep, and the end was hardly worth sticking around for. The movie felt a little all over the place, and the soundtrack got annoying real quick! I didn't care too much for all the aesthetically pleasing scenes of this little girl walking around the city alone. Now, what made keep watching was Lauren. She had personality, I loved her dialogue, the scenes with her was entertaining, and I really wanted to know what was going to happen to her next. I also liked the other kids who were at the shelter, they had personality, and I wanted to know more about them, but instead the entire movie is centered around a boring main character who is pretty much a blank canvas, her only real trait is the fact her home life sucks. Now if the movie had been centered on Lauren or the other kids it might've done a lot better, to me they were a lot more memorable than the actual main character.

This reminds me of how brutal this world is and shows the subculture of children in foster care. The little girl did an amazing job acting if aware of herself or not, her face and eyes displayed pain, insecurity, feelings of being unsafe, indifferent sometimes to what she must have known her whole life, the feeling of being unloved. She is resilient as children are; I do agree with that statement. Powerful film. I had nothing but empathy for her roommate Lauren who displays the same feeling but as an older girl, an adolescent who has been abused and tossed out her whole childhood. I didn't blame her for her actions like the other review seems to suggest. She was befriending Lucy or vise versa in their own way. How can a child with no idea of love or respect teach another child how to cope if she doesn't even have coping skills? She's showing her the wrong ways to cope, yes, but the only says ways she knows. It is sad because you see how Lucy's life can turn out in the future when she's a young woman. Heartbreaking. I want to say as a recovering addict who has suffered my own hard childhood and young adulthood, but now in my thirties and sober, that these kids many many many times end up with addictions be it substances, love, sex, etc. But many times it is substance abuse or addiction And I think if you watch this movie you can understand why one would try to escape themselves or self medicate or numb themselves. So the stigma that says addiction is a choice needs to end. Cuz these kids didn't choose their lives or know any other coping skills. Anyway, I also empathized with the mother who doesn't know how to be one. Who knows what issues she's had in her life but this is the situation she's in and needs to step up and can't for whatever reason. Very painful scene at the end. But a real look into the underbelly of humanity

I've loved this film for a long time. Watched again last night with my daughter. I wanted to her to see it not to make her feel bad, but to make her aware that sometimes that classmate in school who keeps to themselves, has no friends, maybe even purposely gets into trouble is probably navigating difficult circumstances at home. I want my kids to stop and think that perhaps there is a very good reason for their behavior and\or isolation. Before we watched it I warned her it was going to be very sad, but made a point to explain that the film was about the woman who made it and she is now a successful director. In many ways it's may be too heavy for kids and I was conflicted about her watching it. We did fast forward through the beating and the rape. It was worth it though. She really liked it and I do think it affected her in a way that she may now stop and think and talk to that "strange" or "quiet" kid. To extend a branch of friendship even if most of her classmates do not.One thing I find a little funny. There are reviews that declare this movie is slow and boring. Well, my 9 year old happily sat through it and enjoyed it very much. I wasn't sure she would and would not have made her continue watching if she didn't want to. On the other hand if a 9 year old can sit through a slower paced art film that says a lot about adults who can't. If you watch every film with the expectation you are going to be "entertained" and get frustrated when you're not, there are going to be a lot of incredibly good films you'll miss out on.

A slow story told with a lot of flashbacks by the lead girl. I gave it 4 stars because I like a story line as opposed to drama and explosions. This movie slowly, very slowly, rolls out the little girl's cold transfer from an abusive home to a group home setting. You will be asked to endure drawn out and sometimes painful moments of light in the girl's face which are religious moments. The movie will ask you to hope beyond anything that nothing bad happens to the little girl. That's the only kind of suspense you'll get, hoping she doesn't get trapped in situations we wouldn't want our daughters in.The little girl gets a dose of reality inside the group home as she sees other struggle to cope with their issues.She herself is very obedient, mostly silent and pained. If you like a story only then you'll like this film.Don't expect anything like great cinematography, costume design or great writing. Don't expect good production, just accept the young child's story because that's what this film is about, her story, her experiences and the experiences of the girl closest to her. The first 20 min of the movie were painfully slow. I started not to finish but I'm happy I did.

I've had this film for years and finally got round to watching it. I now wish I had done so when I first bought it. Having grown up in children's homes - though from the generation before the Director of this film, Samantha Morton - I was naturally interested in the subject matter. I wanted to see how Samantha Morton would fictionalise an experience that is in many ways very internal and thus more suited to the novel than to film. What struck me most was the commitment to unvarnished truth. Nothing is over-dramatized and there are none of the hyped-up emotional tricks that film uses so often to manipulate its audience, especially in films about children. One noticed their glaring (and welcome) absence at several plot points. This makes the film seem far slower than most, with lots of quiet moments, but that is partly the point. One is essentially forced to see the world through the still, calm eyes of an eleven-year-old girl at the centre of a network of far more emotional adults. What came through most strongly, for me, was the isolation and lack of overt emotional expression the girl exhibits. That chimed a great deal with my own experience. Many children in care are very accepting of what goes on around them because they have spent years having to be. They have adjusted to a world where it feels safer to keep quiet. Many of them are observers of the world rather than participants. There are other films about the child care system out there, both fictionalised and documentary, but whenever anyone asks me in future what it is like living in care I shall recommend this film as a first point of departure.

This is a great film and the directoral debut of the highly talented actress, Samantha Morton. Drawing on her own experience, she follows the progress of a little girl through a series of encounters in a care home - some heartwarming, some disturbing. The story is told with great sympathy and understanding, the characters are unvarnished and true to life, the plot is raw and hard-hitting and the direction faultless. Highly recommended!

As someone who is interested in our society's treatment of children in care I think this movie is a very realistic portrayal of the problems kids in care face and how our care system leaves alot to be desired .I think this film is well worth watching .

Excellent and extremely emmotional film. Should be watched by everyone.

Very good thought provoking drama with an excellent performance by the young Molly Windsor.