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21 reviews in total

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31 out of 33 people found the following review useful:
A brilliant portrayal of junk addiction and love in East London., 14 August 2004
Author: element756 (beagle756@hotmail.com) from South-West London, England

Pure, a film about a heroin addict mother in East London, could all too easily have become a cold and hopeless rendition of the destructive nature of drug use. Instead, through sensitive screenplay and compelling performances from the cast, it successes in showing how a binding familial love can triumph over the modern evils which so many face. Molly Parker, who plays a widowed junkie mother of two compels us to discover how she can care more about heroin than her two sons. However, the saving grace of the film is the mature and grounded portrayal of her older son, Paul, played by Harry Eden. His simple, heartfelt acting gives the audience a sense of his position, trapped between loyalty to his mother and the social services. It is Eden's acting, through which the film is shown, that we are immersed into the grimy drudgery of West Ham. His facial expression, never contrived or obvious gives a realism which makes him shine out against other child actors today. And when he too smokes heroin with his companion Louise (played by Keira Knightley in a refreshing change from her swashbuckling), we wonder whether the vice of this drug can grip him too. The image of a ten year-old boy chasing the dragon tips us to the edge of our seats and ponders what lengths this film will go to to show us such a different world. The cinematography offers haunting visions of this concrete jungle and is very effective. I felt the film's only downfall was its soundtrack which is written by only one person and gives little variation from its initial theme. However at some points its sentimental sound is appropriate. I really did like this film because at its core stood the moral that despite what influences of sin and hatred we might undergo, love will always remain. Well worth seeing.

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31 out of 37 people found the following review useful:
"Requiem For A Dream" as seen through the eyes of the ten-year-old son of a junkie., 28 December 2003

Author: ripperlyn from Edinburgh, Scotland

I was so impressed by this film. At first glance, it's just another junkie flick, as another user has implied - but there's a real humanity to this film that movies like "Trainspotting" and "Requiem" are lacking. I think this is largely due to the absolutely *stunning* performance of the main character - probably one of the best child actors I've ever seen on screen.

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19 out of 23 people found the following review useful:
give credit to whom it is due, 18 May 2003

Author: ender34

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.

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13 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Truly Outstanding, 19 December 2005

Author: the_mole_8472 from United Kingdom

This film has quickly become one of my all time favourites. I was a bit dubious at first thinking this will be just another story of Heroine abuse, but I was wrong. This story of a 10 year old boy, played by the very talented young Harry Eden, trying to rid his mother of a terrible addiction is a touching story and will leave even the coldest heart a bit warmer towards him.

This is achieved through great screen play and acting abilities of cast members like Molly Parker who plays the addicted mother and David Wenham who plays Lenny, the pimp/dealer who is feeding Mel's (Molly Parker) addiction. But the true star of the show has to be Harry Eden who is in almost every scene and portraits just about every emotion known to man and seems to do so effortlessly.

This is a must see film for anyone that likes to be emotionally touched whilst watching a movie.

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8 out of 9 people found the following review useful:
sad sad story all to real, 27 July 2006

Author: noBODee from California, United States

One thing that stands out like a sore thumb on the previous comment is that David Wenham plays a drug dealer, he's easy on the eyes but a not so nice a fella. The son brings out all my maternal instincts, he does such a fantastic job of playing this tortured child that he makes me want to slap his mother silly. What a future this young man will have as an actor. Keira Knightly is really great but I want to slap her too. Alas this is reality in the real world, addictions can take over all senses, and destroy all in it's path. This really is a compelling movie and I tried to stop watching but just could not. It makes me wonder what the writer has gone thru to create such a sad story.

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11 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
what a beautiful movie!, 24 May 2003
Author: sukhpreet from New York

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

Just saw this on Sundance. loved it. beautiful acting, story, music, direction. Molly Parker is awesome once again. It was actually refreshing to see a movie where an addict actually beats her addiction. The scene where Mel (Molly Parker) sees her son (played wonderfully by Harry Eden) under the influence of heroine was especially touching.

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5 out of 5 people found the following review useful:
Molly, you're the best!, 18 June 2006

Author: duerden60 from United Kingdom

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.)

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5 out of 6 people found the following review useful:
boy saves mom from heroin dealer, 12 October 2005

Author: RanchoTuVu from Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

A young boy fights to keep his mother off of heroin in this gritty but hopeful film about addiction and family. The mother (Molly Parker) is nearly hopelessly in the grip of the drug, and her supplier Lenny (David Wenholm) does his absolute best to keep her in line. At risk of losing her children to their paternal grandparents for neglect, she tries to go cold turkey, but in a weak moment starts using again. Her son Paul (Harry Eden) tries to prevent Lenny from selling her more drugs, trying to step in between his addicted mother and her supplier, much like law enforcement seeks to do with a drug hungry society and a vicious underworld market run by ruthless cartels. The scale of the problem is reduced to a personal level but is quite exciting as well as emotional. Keira Knightley's role as Louise, a heroin addicted waitress who's also Paul's friend, leads to a night when he convinces her to let him try it out in order to know how it feels. It's quite a scene, as we watch in horror as our underage hero stares the enemy straight in the eye.

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3 out of 4 people found the following review useful:
Normally depressed by these, 17 November 2007

Author: beresfordjd from United Kingdom

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.

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1 out of 1 people found the following review useful:
A Fine Film, 5 May 2008

Author: Ben Notess from United States

I picked this film up not knowing what to expect, and was pleasantly surprised. It is a gripping story, and the characters are well-developed. There are indeed several disturbing scenes and some sad circumstances, but it is tastefully done. I think everyone should watch this film, honestly. It reminds the viewer of the harsh realities of the world. Kiera Knightly does a wonderful job in her supporting role, as do the rest of the actors. Definitely an incredible performance by the little boy for such a mentally and emotionally demanding role. The score is also well-written and captures the tone of the film nicely. Overall, this is a wonderful, sad, gripping story that is a must-see!

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