In Pin Cushion, Joanna Scanlon and Lily Mewmark star as mother and daughter misfits Lyn and Iona. The pair have high hopes as they move to a new town for a fresh start, but soon fall foul of nasty neighbours and vicious school ground bullies. The once inseparable pair find their relationship rocked by lies and jealousy.

This was another rewatch, and it was every bit as moving the second time round. In her feature debut, director Deborah Haywood has created a unique coming-of-age story, which pays tribute films such as Mean Girls and Carrie, but always manages to subvert its audiences expectations. A fairytale of sorts (think less Disney, more Grimm), whose aesthetic is whimsical and unapologetically feminine, and serves as a perfect reflection of the characters’ retreat into imagination and lies, as they struggle to adjust to their new life.

Scanlon proves an excellent case study for our theory that comedians make the best dramatic actors (maybe there’s a blog post in that?); she brings humanity to a character that, in lesser hands, could so easily have strayed into caricature. Newmark is equally impressive as the naively optimistic Iona and we cannot wait to see what this rising stars has in store for us next.

Pin Cushion is not the easiest watch, but the rewards are well worth your while.