em89072002 This is an emotionally charged film with superb acting as many of the other reviewers have indicated.It is also extremely well crafted; great sound, camera work and editing.This is fiction with a purpose beyond entertainment; it provides a glimpse into the world of drug addiction and the ripple effects that few know first hand but many denounce at arms length.Although it has noble intents, it is a bit manipulative in that it pulls out all the strings to make a viewer empathize with the main character's plight (if the main character wasn't a child, or if the addict didn't have any family I doubt the story would be as affective). And, perhaps the ending could have been cropped to leave open questions instead of forging a resolution.Nevertheless, it's a great film. And, definitely one worth watching.

beresfordjd Normally I am depressed by these kind of movies. There is a place for a look at the worst side of life but I don't usually seek them out for entertainment. However the performances in this are uniformly excellent and I watched it in spite of my prejudices. Particular praise goes out to Molly Parker and David Wenham, both from other parts of the world, but playing Londoners convincingly. Paul, wonderfully played by Harry Eden, is a fully fleshed character and Eden is unusually good for a child actor who, in effect, is carrying the whole movie, as he is in practically every scene. If anyone needs to see the misery that drugs cause they could do little better than watch this film.

RanchoTuVu A young boy fights to keep his mother off of heroin in this gritty but hopeful film about addiction and family. The mother (Molly Parker) is nearly hopelessly in the grip of the drug, and her supplier Lenny (David Wenholm) does his absolute best to keep her in line. At risk of losing her children to their paternal grandparents for neglect, she tries to go cold turkey, but in a weak moment starts using again. Her son Paul (Harry Eden) tries to prevent Lenny from selling her more drugs, trying to step in between his addicted mother and her supplier, much like law enforcement seeks to do with a drug hungry society and a vicious underworld market run by ruthless cartels. The scale of the problem is reduced to a personal level but is quite exciting as well as emotional. Keira Knightley's role as Louise, a heroin addicted waitress who's also Paul's friend, leads to a night when he convinces her to let him try it out in order to know how it feels. It's quite a scene, as we watch in horror as our underage hero stares the enemy straight in the eye.

George Parker ...is still a junkie flick. Such is "Pure" in which Eden, a ten year old son of a heroin addict, occupies nearly every scene as the film explores the highs and lows of the mother/son drug tainted relationship. The opposite of "gritty", this sugar coated Brit flick delivers a solid performance by Parker as the mom/junkie who has to go through the obligatory lifestyle decay, agonizing withdrawal, courageous recovery, pitiful setback, etc. However, the film does little to distinguish itself and those who have seen junkie flicks before may well get the feeling "Pure" is not sufficiently creative or unique to make the viewing time well spent. (C+)