Ursula and Glenys

This is a spiky film with a certain trenchant humour contributed by the Glenys character (Runciman), a Soho hooker. This is played off against the slightly soured strength of Ursula (Brennan). They are respectively the 'bad' and 'good' half-sisters who provide the focus for this rather disengaged exploration of fragmented families, incest, and moral disenchantment. Perhaps appropriately for a stagnant Britain (that image of parked car, doors open against a flat landscape, 'Islands in the Stream' on the radio), the only form of communication is confession. Hallmark of the '80s? The film has surprising charm, and the locations are well used.