There’s warmth, humour, sadness and tenderness in this big-hearted feature debut from writer-director Dionne Edwards. It’s a movie about masculinity that could have been solemn and prescriptive; instead it’s pulsing with humanity, thanks in great part to tremendous performances from its leads Natey Jones, Alexandra Burke and smart newcomer Temilola Olatunbosun.
Burke is already known as a West End performer, recording star and X Factor winner; she plays Candice, a singer about to land the role of a lifetime playing Tina Turner in a big musical – just a few more audition rounds to go. But she has problems: teen daughter Kenisha (Olatunbosun) is in trouble at school, and her partner, Travis (Jones) is just out of prison on licence, his ankle tag giving him a strange and sinister limp.