April was abandoned in a dustbin as a baby. Now on her 14th birthday, after a row, she walks out on her foster mother, Marion, determined to discover her past, remembering and revisiting the people who have shaped her life. As Marion searches frantically for her, their journeys take them on a course that will change their lives for ever...

Dustbin Baby is a family drama based on the book by Jacqueline Wilson which tells the heartbreaking but ultimately uplifting story of teenager April who sets out to discover where she came from, and on the way discovers where she belongs.

I'm not usually one of those people who is easily moved by dramas like this. However, the characters are so believable - especially the three girls that play April at various stages of her young life - that you can't help but be touched by the events in her young life.

Juliet Stevenson, as Marion, and David Haig, as Marion's friend, are wonderfully cast and you really believe that the two have been friends for years. Likewise Dakota Blue Richards, as 14-year-old April, and Alexandra Hewett, as eight-year-old April, really take the character and make it their own. Anyone with teenagers will instantly recognise the moody, snappy character traits of April.

There are a couple of awkward bits of dialogue here and there from supporting actors, but to be honest these aren't the actors fault. To keep the story moving smoothly at least two lines of dialogue seemed to rush in a little too quickly instead of flowing a little more naturally. Without spoiling things, the most obvious is the dialogue of the person April meets in the pizza restaurant near the end of the movie. It's not the actor that is unconvincing, just some of the dialogue.

On the extras side, we get a pretty impressive behind the scenes featurette. Dustbin Baby: Making of (23 min, 38 sec) interviews cast and crew - as well as the book's author Jacqueline Wilson - on the making of the movie.

This is a story that everyone, no matter what age, sex or creed, will get something special from. Add to this the fact that this DVD retails at under £10 and this is the perfect excuse for every household to own a copy.

9

Darren Rea