My favourite film genre is 'social realism'. I have a bit of an (albeit fair) reputation for only liking bleak human dramas. But human dramas don't have to be bleak, and people don't have to be nasty to make a good film. And Saint Frances is a beautiful film. Not a hint of saccharine, but a lovely study of how, despite their not inconsiderable troubles, people can be, and ultimately are, nice. Done well like this, heart warming dramas are every bit as emotionally compelling as their oft bleak counterparts. A lovely film for New Years Eve....

A great way to kick of 2021 was to watch one of Mark Kermode's top 10 of 2020 on Netflix.

This lovely American Indie movie, Saint Frances, written by and starring Kelly O'Sullivan. Nope, me neither.

It's the story of a 30 something 'girl' who's pretty much failed in life so far, who simultaneously gets a new boyfriend who gets her pregnant but is happy with her undertaking a quick abortion (and go halfers on the fee), and lands a summer job as a nanny for a six year old kid who has mixed race lesbian parents.

The kid's a brat and is running through nannies.

So you know how this all gonna pan out right?

Well, not really. What we embark on is a fairly, but not overly, emotional study in female empowerment (and actually entitlement because one of the moms is a pretty high achieving ball buster), loneliness, self-worth and social value.

The one guy in the movie isn't cast asunder as unimportant but he plays a side role. He's a good guy actually.

The four-way Mom, mom, nanny, kid (and a new baby which makes suppressed Mom, depressed Mom) dynamic is complicated and rarely sees the main protagonist played by O'Sullivan in a position of strength. Meanwhile her abortion has some fairly gross out complications although none that derail the narrative.

It's actually a bit of a comedy but it's a lot more than that. It's certainly bittersweet, but sweet enough.

Hugely thought provoking with several powerful central performances, a strong exploration of issues that face women today (one critic said it was too woke for its own good but I disagree) and a few really good laughs along the way.

What's not to love?