Dagenham is a gritty and harrowing drama about a mother's struggle against drugs and the vicious cycle of despair and desperation that afflicts her community. Set in the titular borough in east London, the film is a bleak and powerful examination of the toll that drugs and violence can take on a working-class neighborhood.
The main character is Cathy, a single mother struggling to keep her family together in the face of overwhelming odds. Her eldest son, Billy, has fallen into a life of addiction and crime, while her younger son, Alfie, is still trying to find his way in the world. As the film progresses, Cathy becomes increasingly desperate to save Billy from his destructive habits, even as she is forced to confront her own shortcomings and mistakes.
The film is a visceral and unflinching portrait of life in a deprived area, with its dingy housing, boarded-up shops, and pervasive sense of hopelessness. Director Nick Love and writer Ian Kennedy Martin pull no punches in depicting the harsh realities of drug addiction and the toll it takes on families, friends, and communities.
But amidst the bleakness, there are moments of hope and tenderness, as Cathy struggles to keep her family together and find a way out of the darkness. With powerful performances by Beverly Knight as Cathy and Alfie Albrighton as Billy, Dagenham is an intense and gripping film that refuses to look away from the stark realities of life on the margins.