The More You Ignore Me (2018)

Mental illness, Morrissey and guinea pigs.

Director:

Keith English

Writer:

Jo Brand

Stars:

Ella Hunt, Mark Addy, Sheridan Smith

Cast

Credited cast:
Ella Hunt	...	Alice
Mark Addy	...	Keith
Sheridan Smith	...	Gina
Sally Phillips	...	Marie Henty
Ricky Tomlinson	...	Bert Wildgoose
Tony Way	...	Wobbly Wildgoose
Tom Davis	...	Bighead Wildgoose
Sheila Hancock	...	Nan Wildgoose
Jo Brand	...	Sandra
Elizabeth Carling	...	Jean
Clive Mantle	...	Dunk
Roger Morlidge	...	Phil
Rod Glenn	...	Ambulance Driver
Dave Simon	...	Dave
Ashley Taylor Dawson	...	Dr. Desmond

Storyline

Based on Jo Brand's critically acclaimed novel of the same name, The More You Ignore Me is a warm, comedy drama focusing on the life of an unconventional family in 1980s rural England. The film focuses on Gina, a young mother, whose efforts to be a loving mother and wife are undermined by her declining mental health. Things deteriorate when she develops an obsession with the local weatherman, which leads to an admission to the nearby psychiatric hospital. Over the years, as she grows up, her daughter Alice struggles to relate to her heavily medicated mum, and causes chaos when she comes up with a plan to reconnect with her, which divides the family forever and leads to a moving climax. Set to the songs of The Smiths, The More You Ignore Me provides a sometimes stark, yet comical insight into life within this quirky household, whilst addressing mental health issues and their impact on the family.

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Genres:

Comedy

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Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 July 2018 (UK)

Filming Locations:

Blackpool, Lancashire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Genesius Pictures

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

First feature film written by Jo Brand

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Toni Collette/Ethan Hawke/Aidan Turner/Jo Brand/Liam Payne (2018)

User Reviews

Smith as a Smiths fan

A teenage girl with a mentally ill mother finds some solace in the music of The Smiths.

This low budget British film is an uncomfortable watch, a less than successful marriage of human tragedy and awkward comedy - that the swearing sticks out is in part proof its failure. But it's more the fact that not a single element of it is convincing, from the Seventies/Eighties setting to the behaviour of most of its characters (including two unlikely romances) to the girl and her mother's 'obsession' with The Smiths - it really doesn't help that they only got the rights to just two of their songs (This Charming Man and What Difference Does It Make?).

(At this point in my original review I made an inaccurate claim about a scene in the film and the director has rightly taken me to task for it (see elsewhere on this page). I apologise for that and he is completely correct in what he says - as a huge Mozza fan I should have known - although I maintain that the film should have signalled that at this point Morrissey had gone solo.

Jo Brand wrote it, based on her novel, and has a small part as a shopkeeper. And finally, I wonder how many of the reviews on this page are written by those with some connection to the movie?