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80
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The Hollywood Reporter Kirk Honeycutt
Pure's lively and colorful cinematic style turns a "downer" story about grim lives and desperation into a powerful love story.
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80
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L.A. Weekly Ella Taylor
Real kudos goes to Molly Parker, searing as a heroin-addicted mother immobilized by the death of her husband, and to a poised little boy named Harry Eden, who's astonishingly good as the 10-year-old son desperately trying to hold her to the straight and narrow.
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75
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Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
One of the movie's intriguing qualities is that its horrors take place within a world that is not as cruel and painful as we know it could be.
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75
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Portland Oregonian Marc Mohan
It's not without one or two missteps, but remains likely the most impressive juvenile acting you'll see this year.
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75
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Entertainment Weekly
Pure belongs to Eden, a remarkably strong child actor, and Deadwood's Molly Parker, broken and affecting as his sweaty, gear-crazy mum.
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75
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San Francisco Chronicle
Solid if unspectacular.
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70
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Variety David Stratton
The film belongs to Eden, who creates a winning personality out of a combination of vulnerability, resourcefulness, toughness and fragility. It's an outstanding juvenile performance.
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70
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The A.V. Club Nathan Rabin
Pure loses a bit of its nerve in the home stretch, but Eden's unforgettable performance alone makes it a compelling portrait of a smart young boy forced to grow up way too fast.
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60
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Los Angeles Times Carina Chocano
This is a conventional, well-acted, English working-class drama in the familiar realist style, but it does not attain anywhere near the level of artistry and imagination of a Ken Loach film.
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60
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TV Guide Maitland McDonagh
MacKinnon's film draws on his past as a youth worker and features a standout performance from first-time performer Harry Eden.
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