A layered, multifaceted performance from Riseborough elevates this slice of life, troubled drama; but the somewhat uninspired screenplay truly limits this from being something special. I felt like I'd seen this movie before, in the sense that I've seen many others tackle similar topics in the exact same way. Unlikeable, deep main character faces their demons and rebuilds what they destroyed; with dramatic character collisions along the way. As said by others, I feel like Red Rocket did this kind of storytelling better, even if that were without the character redemption that can be found here. Something about this movie just felt very paint-by-numbers, with every beat telegraphed from the moment the characters and premise are introduced. That's not to say it's a bad movie, I enjoyed my time with it and I do like these linear, slow burn character dramas more than most. I just think if you're here for anything past Riseboroughs performance, you might be vastly disappointed.

[spoiler](Special shout out to the shot towards the end of the movie where Leslie steals Royals hip flask and heads out back. The complete darkness around the diner, with only Leslie lit staring down at her vice was a perfect way of encapsulating that feeling when facing down an addiction. You can almost hear her inner monologue just telling her to give up and take a sip without a single word spoken. That along with her diner outfit being the same colour as her iconic pink suitcase to symbolise this being her new home, her new nesting place was very subtle and I'm a sucker for that stuff :sweat_smile:) [/spoiler]