This Little Piggy

April 27, 2015
The British miners’ strike of 1984 provides the backdrop for this angst-laden psychological thriller from Davenport (In Too Deep). Dogged reporter Clare Jackson lucks into a big story when ninth-month-old Jamie Donnelly is tossed off the balcony of Sweetmeadows, a rural housing project. Suspicion falls on the baby’s mother. Jamie’s father, who works in the local colliery, has an alibi, but he has crossed the picket line, making him a pariah in the community. Clare, an emotional time bomb, is deeply resentful of how her boss has treated her and angry at the inexperienced colleague who got the promotion she wanted. She ignores the danger signs when she befriends nine-year-old Amy Hedley, a Sweetmeadows resident, who’s clearly damaged and a manipulative liar. Clare displays none of the skepticism that one expects in a good reporter and takes it upon herself to rescue Amy. Getting involved with Finn McKenna, the new local union head, doesn’t help her credibility.