If you love the comic actress Jessica Hynes, the synopsis for her directing debut may sound about as thrilling as scraping a bunion.
It’s a drama in which a miserable care worker, with three kids and a knackered husband, faces up to childhood trauma. Oh no!
Luckily, the film contains some hoot-worthy moments and, even better, turns out to be a tale of the unexpected. I never thought I’d have my mind melted by Anita Dobson. But hey, she’s on fire.
Tina Bell (Hynes) knows that her eldest daughter Emma (Sennia Nanua, lovely) is being bullied at school by Jordan (Liv Hill, gob-smackingly great, as ever). But Tina is scared of conflict and seems intimidated even by Jordan’s mum (Rhona Mitra). Maybe hanging out at the local gym, run by a no-nonsense Liverpudlian (Cathy Tyson, insanely charismatic) will help? Or maybe Tina just needs to talk to her mum (Dobson) and dad (Christopher Fairbank, a joy)?
The Fight has plenty of flaws. Mitra is hopeless. The editing lacks punch (there are too many bland shots of Folkestone, especially its shoreline). Russell Brand (providing the voice of a mindfulness guru) adds nothing to the proceedings and a riverside intervention by Tina is ridiculous.
But it doesn’t matter. It was brave and smart of Hynes to leave her comfort zone. Her desperately angry characters linger on, just as they should.
