Patti Cake$

Meet Patti Cake$. Raised in one of the poorest parts of New Jersey by an alcoholic mother, Patti has nothing, nothing but her dreams of becoming a rapper...

But with her mother on disability allowance, Patricia Dombrowski aka Killer P aka Patti Cake$, has to take on any job she can to fund the ever-growing medical bills for her sick nan. Whenever Patti finds a free minute, she spends it writing songs. Though her lyrics are as fierce and vulgar as any other rapper, being white, female and overweight means no one will listen. She’s desperately trying to find a way to show what she can do and get her talent recognised…

The breakthrough performance of Australian actress Danielle MacDonald as the titular protagonist wowed a number of film festivals, even taking home awards from Cannes and Sundance. The cast are all strong, and there are many raw moments, which feel undeniably authentic. Patti’s nan (Kathryn Moriarty - Raging Bull), lightens the mood of this drama by injecting occasional humour with her sharp tongue.

The underdog film may be well-charted territory, but Patti Cake$ shows that there’s still a lot of charm, heart and laughter to be found there.