Brenda Blethyn – MRQE

“Buddha of Suburbia, The”

Sat, 23 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Karim is 17 years old and lives in a South London suburb with his English mother and Pakistani father, who has become a kind of spiritual guru to his middle-class neighbours. Karim wants to explore his cultural roots, in the hope that he will achieve sexual and racial self-realisation.

“Anne Frank: The Whole Story”

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Anne Frank: The Whole Story is a two-part mini-series based on the book Anne Frank: The Biography by Melissa Müller. The mini-series aired on ABC on May 20 and 21, 2001. The series starred Ben Kingsley, Brenda Blethyn, Hannah Taylor-Gordon, and Lili Taylor. Controversially, but in keeping with the claim made by Melissa Müller, the series asserts that the anonymous betrayer of the Frank family was the office cleaner, when in fact the betrayer’s identity has never been established. A disagreement between the producers of the mini-series and the Anne Frank Foundation about validity of this and other details led to the withdrawal of their endorsement of the dramatization, which prevented the use of any quotations from the writings of Anne Frank appearing within the production. Hannah Taylor-Gordon received both Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for her performance as Anne Frank, while Ben Kingsley won a Screen Actor’s Guild Award for his performance as Otto Frank, Anne’s father.

Mary and Martha (TV)

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Wealthy American housewife Mary Morgan takes her bullied son George out of school for home education,including a trip to Southern Africa. Whilst in Mozambique George is bitten by a mosquito which crawls through a hole in his net and dies of malaria. After his funeral at home Mary feels a compulsion to return to Africa where she meets English woman Martha O’Connell,whose 24 year old son Ben, a teacher with voluntary service overseas,has also died of malaria. Ben gave his net to one of his pupils,believing adults cannot catch malaria. The two women are shocked to see the high death rate caused by the disease and,whilst Martha stays in Africa as a voluntary helper,Mary petitions the American government to change things. Martha turns up at Mary’s house unannounced and,helped by Mary’s ex-diplomat father,they address a senate committee on health spending,persuading them to do more to combat malaria. They meet with some success though a coda states that much more can be done.

“Vera”

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A sharp detective with a messy life, DCI Vera Stanhope patrols her patch of northeast England, pursuing the truth in cases of murder, kidnapping, and blackmail. Vera is obsessive about her work and faces the world with caustic wit, guile and courage.

Night Train (1998/I)

Tue, 26 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

A man released from jail, where he had served time for doctoring the books of a gangster, has to go into hiding from the gangster’s men. He moves into a Dublin boarding house run by a woman and her timid daughter. The timid woman immediately takes a shine to the new boarder and to his train sets, which they each use as an escape from reality.

Pumpkin

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Carolyn’s sorority sisters set their sights on the Sorority of the Year award and coaching challenged athletes is their ticket to the trophy. But when the queen of formals finds herself mentoring Pumpkin, a disabled athlete, their two worlds collide.

Ethel & Ernest

Fri, 22 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

This hand drawn animated film, based on the award winning graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, is an intimate and affectionate depiction of the life and times of his parents, two ordinary Londoners living through extraordinary events.

The Calling (2009/III)

Mon, 25 Aug 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Joanna – a university student – leaves her course to become a nun.

My Angel

Fri, 05 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

Fifteen year old Eddie’s mother falls very ill after a serious car accident. Eddie and his brother Stewart end up having to take care of themselves and one night when they have ran out of food and electricity, Eddie dreams that his mother asks him to find an angel’s halo so that she can be saved. Will Eddie be able to save his mother in time for Christmas?

Sonny

Wed, 24 Sep 2025 04:00:00 +0000

New Orleans, 1981. Sonny Phillips, just discharged from the Army, returns home. The only life he’s known is as a gigolo, working for his mother, but he wants to leave that behind. However, the job his Army buddy promised doesn’t materialize, and he can’t escape his past.