Pure (2005)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

Touches You

Too much of everything

A lot of fun.

pure is an example of how good British gritty socio- realism dramas can be when they get it right. I was surprised by Keira Knightley too who has usually adopted for costume drama roles. The star of the show is no doubt Harry Eden played wonderfully as the suffering mature son of a heroin addicted mother.The film has a strong cast and the story is a realistic portrayal of a suffering family on a hardened estate. This film may just put you off drugs for life! Some of the scenes are heart breaking and emotional and it makes me count my lucky stars I was never involved in petty crime and drugs. Yet I can relate to the film and the characters. People are sucked into drugs by animal dealers and they just sit back and watch the carnage while Harry ( a 10 year old boy) picks up the pieces. solid stuff. 8/10

Normally I am depressed by these kind of movies. There is a place for a look at the worst side of life but I don't usually seek them out for entertainment. However the performances in this are uniformly excellent and I watched it in spite of my prejudices. Particular praise goes out to Molly Parker and David Wenham, both from other parts of the world, but playing Londoners convincingly. Paul, wonderfully played by Harry Eden, is a fully fleshed character and Eden is unusually good for a child actor who, in effect, is carrying the whole movie, as he is in practically every scene. If anyone needs to see the misery that drugs cause they could do little better than watch this film.

A great deal of crime in the world is drug induced, so those of us who lead a sheltered life have little time for those who indulge in them. However, watching a film such as this does make one stop and think, that in itself reason enough to view.There but for the grace-etc. The performances of all concerned were truly amazing, I am used to Molly Parker giving her all, but this was acting at the highest level, Harry Eden was brilliant. Others have picked out performances, but I haven't seen Geraldine McEwan mentioned, terrific as Gran. Films like this don't usually get awards, all I can say is-they should. Wonderful stuff! (I have voted nine as I reserve ten for that elusive perfect one that comes along once in a while.)

Molly Parker is indeed convincing as the addict mother but the person who brings this film off is the boy who plays her son -- so it behooves us to get his name right. Harry Eden makes a brilliant debut in this difficult role. He is onscreen in almost every scene, with far more screen time than either Parker or David Wenham who plays the mother's supplier. His daily trials are grim but his ultimate resolution of them is cathartic.