Based on the semi-autobiographical
novel by Jeanette Winterson. Jess (Charlotte Coleman) grows up in northwestern
England in the 1960s. She falls in love with Melanie (Cathryn Bradshaw), but unfortunately,
her mother (Geraldine McEwan) is a domineering religious evangelical who wants
Jess to be a missionary. Mom goes a little crazy when she suspects the "unnatural
passions" going on. Mom actually becomes really horrifying, enlisting the
pastor to perform a disturbing exorcism to rid them of "the sin that dare
not speak its name." Jess continues to spend time with her mother
and the other incredibly annoying bible thumpers. But she also uses bible study
to pick up her next girlfriend, Katy (Tania Rodrigues), until they are cruelly
betrayed to the church. All of this finally gives Jess the strength to leave for
Oxford and a new life. Great performances and a moving coming of age story.
Produced by the BBC with screenplay by Winterson, it won several television awards
in the UK.
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