A double-bill with Tarnation would complete the agony. Asia Argento has directed, adapted and starred in a version of the JT Leroy novel about a boy being brought up by his single mom, an itinerant truck-stop prostitute. There are many horribly painful scenes of abuse, ploddingly spliced together, and the whole movie is relentlessly shallow, wearyingly incurious, unable or unwilling to investigate its characters' inner lives.

Argento has assumed the rash burden of multi-hyphenate status, and is left drowning in the material. It works neither as exploitation shocker, nor as compassionate memoir: a pretty unsatisfying experience all round.