The Unexpected Expectant Father
2022 · 14m · UK
Directed by Keeley Gainey
Genres: drama
Tones: melancholic, provocative, tender
Eight-year-old Bobby is abandoned by his mother and left at his granddad Ted's house. Ted loves Bobby but struggles to find a permanent solution as the UK's social care system fails them both.
Picked by Margot
The scouts
First-time-filmmaker PSA about UK social care, complete with the director's 'YES YOU CAN' self-affirmation in the Klipist blurb. Earnest in a way that announces itself before frame one.
A first-time filmmaker drawing on her care-home work to dramatize a systemic crisis — Ken Loach-adjacent intent, though the page hints at advocacy that may swamp the cinema. The cause is more legible than the form.
Director's own quote about telling herself 'maybe I can' after years of doubt is touching but signals first-feature unevenness — the page summary leans on advocacy stats rather than craft specifics. The 180,000-children UK social-care subject matter is urgent; the execution is an open question.
Festivals
- Crossing the Screen - Eastbourne International Film Festival 2023, Honourable Mention