Keeping Rosy, film review: Bold British thriller's originality lies in unsympathetic lead character

(15) Steve Reeves, 93 mins Starring: Maxine Peake, Blake Harrison

On one level, this British thriller is very bold. It is about a self-absorbed London businesswoman Charlotte (played with Lady Macbeth-like conviction by Maxine Peake) whose life unravels following an act of pointless violence.

Its originality lies in its frank and unflattering depiction of its own lead character. There is no attempt to make Charlotte remotely sympathetic.

She is, as she is described, "a stuck-up, self-centred cow" who treats colleagues (and her eastern European cleaner in particular) with murderous contempt. This makes it hard to root for her, or to warm to the film in spite of the grimly effective way in which it is constructed.