Kelly + Victor

This tale of love and pain between two damaged souls in Liverpool has shades of ‘Blue Valentine’ to it. But the air turns sour more quickly in doc-maker Kieran Evans’s sensitive, low-budget feature debut about two strangers who fall into a destructive relationship. Kelly (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) is a mystery; quiet and pained, we learn she’s from an unhappy home and recently quit a bad relationship. Victor (Julian Morris) has good friends and family around him, but seems vulnerable, too eager to please. The pair meet in a club and, once back at hers, Kelly’s sadistic tendencies emerge – along with a rope, belt and even glass. It sounds extreme, but Evans does much to explore why Kelly behaves as she does, and why Victor accepts it. It’s not all convincing. Campbell-Hughes (remote, brittle) is odd casting and the more knockabout ensemble scenes ring false. But once we’re in the bedroom, the film takes on a shocking, bold air.