Hideous kinky

In an era about ‘love’ and the spiritual quest for the individual, young English mother of two Julia (Kate Winslet) goes on a journey with her two young children to live in Marrakech, Morocco 1972. Based on the novel by Esther Freud (daughter of painter Lucien) and told from the perspective of the youngest daughter, Julia throws herself into the local culture and with barely the means to support her girls with food and shelter. She is match-made by the children to a street performer and dubious local Bilal (Said Taghmaoui) and they soon become a couple. Exotic and enticing, more a visual feast than a dramatic quest, the film may challenge viewers’ notions of parenting, self-fulfilment and ultimately love. Some may just love the exotic travelogue nature that is the background of the Moroccan location. Soundtrack includes some memorable hits from the British charts of the 1960s/70s. The two performers in the roles of the daughters are captivating - eight year old Bea (Bella Riza) and six year old Lucy (Carrie Mullan) who are tired of mum’s adventures and just want to be ‘normal’. Directed by Gillies MacKinnon, with screenplay by his brother Billy MacKinnon.