Broken

“Broken Britain” was a favourite of the Tories during the most recent general election, describing a 21st century dystopia of broken families, broken relationships and broken people. We can tick them all off in Rufus Norris’s coming-of-age drama in which a young girl witnesses a violent attack on a neighbour in a London suburb.

But forget the kitchen sink dramas of the 1970s. This is an overly polished, terribly self-aware and self-satisfied homage to Loach. Instead of showing ordinary people living ordinary lives, Norris settles for well-worn middle class tropes, which quickly become irritating and distracting.

For what amounts to three houses in a cul-de-sac, there’s also just too much going on and it ultimately lacks focus. The best moments come from Cillian Murphy and Tim Roth, who give good supporting performances, but they’re buried in an unsatisfying and faintly pretentious mix of contrivance and superficial melodrama. It’s grim up North London, so don’t bother visiting. [Scotty McKellar]