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I Am Ruth is the latest in the I Am series, and the first to be a feature-length movie, this time dealing with the pressures of social media on teenagers. I’m so glad we didn’t have social media back when I was at school. Why would I want any of that crap from school following me home?
Plus, how can Ruth (Kate Winslet) be expected to monitor her 17-year-old child 24/7 when (a) it’s not physically possible, and (b) you’re meant to be giving them some sort of independence as they grow, hence while Ruth chats to her gym buddy about her fancying the instructor, daughter Freya (Mia Threapleton) is at home, taking slightly risque pictures of herself for Instagram.
As such, once Ruth returns home, Freya is acting very reserved, and when asked what’s wrong, she abruptly declares, “Nothing”, and just wants to be left alone. However, once she’s left, Ruth can hear the beeps of Freya’s phone emanating from her room, even at 1.30am!
Early on, I thought – shouldn’t Ruth just take her phone off her daughter? I know there’d be ructions, but as for what the outcome is in this drama, you’ll have to watch it to find out, and I’ll only give a taster of what’s to come and no spoilers.
Personally, as a teenager, I also used to spend a lot of time in my room, but since social media hadn’t been invented, I was playing endless videogames. And if I had to go without my games console at the time, I’d go spare.
Along the way, the pair snipe bitterly at each other, Freya for her mother’s smoking, and Ruth at her daughter’s choice of attire, with such a short skirt, “I can see your knickers(!)”
Meanwhile, the matriarch can see her offspring is mentally in pain, but what can she do about it? There are some unimaginable consequences, albeit ones I’ve seen happen in real life; and when Kate Winslet was on BBC Breakfast earlier this week, she confirmed that when the two lead characters go to see a doctor about Freya’s social media addiction, the woman they see IS a real doctor. At another time, a teacher shown has the same name as their character, so I presume they’re also a real teacher. After all, for the experts, go right to the source! And I can’t see this interview online, but I have found one on ITV’s Lorraine, so will link that below.
I’m not a parent, so I was wondering if Ruth was giving Freya too much leeway with her phone. At least with a games console, you can’t carry it about with you every minute of the day.
Whatever your feelings, I Am Ruth is certainly a worthy drama with superb acting from both of the leads.
I Am Ruth is on Channel 4 tonight at 9pm. It’s already available on All 4. It’s not yet available to pre-order on Blu-ray or DVD.
Director: Dominic Savage
Writer: Dominic Savage
Story: Dominic Savage, Kate Winslet
Cast:
Ruth: Kate Winslet
Freya: Mia Threapleton
Billy: Joe Anders
Miguel: Royce Pierreson
Paula: Seroca Davis
Simon: Simon Kingsley-Pallant
GP Dr Suzy: Suzy Charlton
Colleague: Laverne Antrobus
Reviewer of movies, videogames and music since 1994. Aortic valve operation survivor from the same year. Running DVDfever.co.uk since 2000. Nobel Peace Prize winner 2021.