208. Blue Bag Life; movie review

 

BLUE BAG LIFE

Cert 15

102 mins

BBFC advice: Contains drug misuse, very strong language

I have been blessed to have parents and grandparents who cared. Nurturing has always been natural in our family.

Thus, my heart went out to Lisa Selby when I watched her intimate documentary Blue Bag Life.

Her mother Helen walked out on her when she was a baby and the void has clearly had a significant impact on her.ik;'

She eventually connected with Helen, an alcoholic who spends her days sitting on the steps of Greenwich Library.

Meanwhile, her boyfriend, Elliot has an ongoing battle with addiction to heroin that has resulted in him doing time in jail.

Her difficult relationships with both of them are explored alongside Lisa's life story which has been punctuated by significant issues with drugs and mental health.

At the heart of Lisa's problems are rejection and sadly, her reunion with her mother has come too late as Helen is terminally ill with cancer.

There is no doubt that Blue Bag Life is moving - I felt deeply sorry for Lisa because of the cards stacked against her.

But it has too strong a sense of a home movie with juddering shots and selfies.

We have seen the horrible effects of addiction because alcoholism claimed Mrs W's sister' s life far too young.

Therefore, part of Lisa's experience touched a chord. However the film is so relentlessly downbeat that I struggled to stick with it.

Nevertheless, I appreciated the way she bares her soul.

Reasons to watch: Intimate and real

Reasons to avoid: Very downbeat

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: None

Nudity: None

Overall rating: 6/10

Did you know? From 2021 to 2022, the number of people who died while in contact with treatment services for drug addiction was 3,742.  This represents a 0.4% increase from the previous year.

The final word. Lisa Selby: "I felt like everyone had a mum and I did not when I was a child. And then I have not been able to be a mum. All of those things made me feel very alone." Nottingham Post

Share this post