Alan Clarke directs Siobhan Finneran, Michelle Holmes and George Costigan in this British drama where two schoolmates from a council estate in Bradford start an affair with a married man.

From the director of Scum. This always used to be on too late to get away with watching when I was a kid. Told with a pleasingly unjudgmental tone. Rita and Sue aren’t stunners or seductresses – they just want to have whatever slither of fun is due to them before marriage, babies, domestic abuse and unskilled work shut off even the opportunity to have that. George Costigan’s Bob is equally presented as a more decent bloke than you’d expect… he shows a surprising amount of spine when he isn’t being led by his cock. The stand out performance though is by Lesley Sharp as the hard-as-nails wife. The scene where she takes her less glamorous, less mature competition up to her bedroom to watch her change is something to behold. You are glad everyone who debuted here went on to have rich, varied careers. The film itself isn’t as funny or as sexy as its reputation suggests but it is quite brave in its dealings with marriage, race and growing up poor and female. Strangely admirable for a film about gangbangs with babysitters.

6

Perfect Double Bill: Ali & Ava (2022)

Check out my wife Natalie’s Point Horror blog https://cornsyrup.co.uk

We also do a podcast together called The Worst Movies We Own. It is available on Spotify or here https://letterboxd.com/bobbycarroll/list/the-worst-movies-we-own-podcast-ranking-and/