Adapted for the screen from Deborah Kay Davies’ 2010 breakthrough novel True Things About Me, this cautionary tale of the dangers of infatuation and obsession is a seductive slow-burner. Far from being an ‘erotic thriller’, this is a carefully crafted study of a dysfunctional romance in which one partner exploits the other’s longing for both security and reckless adventure.
Kate is a forty-something singleton bored by her dead-end job as a Claims Adviser, and worn down by a combination of loneliness and low self-esteem. Her life is changed by the chance encounter with the ex-con whose claim she processes. This dyed-blonde bad-boy pays her the attention she craves, encouraging Kate to bunk off work for some fun in his company. An alfresco sexual encounter, and the dalliances that follow, leave her exhilarated even as she recognises her new lover’s controlling and selfish ways. Convinced she is a disappointment to those around her, Kate is determined to make this volatile relationship work, despite the imbalance in commitment.
The screenplay by Molly Davies and director Harry Wootliff smoothes off some of the sharper, more disturbing edges of Kay Davies’ story. The result is that Kate’s nameless partner is not quite so repellent, while the ultimate resolution of her dilemma is nowhere near as explosive. Yet what is not lost in the softening of the novel’s narrative is the sympathetic and non-judgemental presentation of Kate’s often fragile sense of self. Tom Burke is excellent as Kate’s cocksure, manipulative and occasionally charming new beau. Yet it is Ruth Wilson, in an assured and exposed performance as the brittle but brave Kate, who ensures that the uncomfortable realities of True Things convince.
TRUE THINGS is available now on DVD, Blu-ray and streaming platforms
