''Cotton Wool'' is a 2017 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

following the story of a 7-year-old boy ( Max Vento) who cares for his mother ( Leanne Best) after she has survived from a stroke, with little to no help from his older sister (Katie Quinn). The film was assisted in its research by The Stroke Association.

Cast

* Leanne Best as Rachel * Max Vento as Sam * Katie Quinn as Jennifer * Kate Rutter as Marion * Crissy Rock as Gerry * Gemma North as Liz * Megan Grady as Young Jennifer * Jason Rickets as David

Reception

The film received a 12A by the

British Board of Film Classification The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) is a non-governmental organization, non-governmental organisation founded by the British film industry in 1912 and responsible for the national classification and censorship of films exhibited ...

. The film's critical reception was mixed, 'ScreenCritix' gave the film 5 stars stating "

Best Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporatio ...

is a revelation", while the Mancunion criticised its short length "suffered in the rush to squeeze an 80-minute story into 40 minutes. 'UK Film Review' stated that the film was '‘Utterly enrapturing’ and ‘Affecting and heartbreaking’." At the 2017 London Film Awards, the film was awarded the 'Special Jury Award'. The film featured on

BBC News BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...

, looking into the age of the director and his career, as well as the importance of supporting child carers. The films red carpet premiere took place in

Oldham Oldham is a town in Greater Manchester, England. It lies amongst the Pennines on elevated ground between the rivers River Irk, Irk and River Medlock, Medlock, southeast of Rochdale, and northeast of Manchester. It is the administrative cent ...

Lancashire Lancashire ( , ; abbreviated ''Lancs'') is a ceremonial county in North West England. It is bordered by Cumbria to the north, North Yorkshire and West Yorkshire to the east, Greater Manchester and Merseyside to the south, and the Irish Sea to ...

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

Production

The film was shot on both digital and 35 mm film formats, using an

Arriflex 435 The Arriflex 435 is a movie camera product line created by Arri in 1995 to replace the Arriflex 35-III line. The number reflects its position as a successor camera to the Arri III and the fact that it is designed for 35 mm film. The 435 camera ...

and

Red Epic Red Digital Cinema, LLC is an American camera manufacturer specializing in digital cinematography headquartered in Foothill Ranch, California, United States. It has been owned by Nikon since April 2024. The company has studios in Hollywood, Lo ...

. The film was shot by

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

winning cinematographer Alan C. McLaughlin. The production shot for 7 days in total in

Barkisland Barkisland () is a village in Calderdale, West Yorkshire, England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, it is east of Ripponden, south of Sowerby Bridge and south-west of Halifax town centre. The village is in the Ryburn war ...

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

Festivals Accolations

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, id=6073996 2017 films British drama short films Films shot in Greater Manchester Films shot in Yorkshire Films set in Manchester Films set in Yorkshire 2017 drama films 2017 independent films 2010s coming-of-age drama films British coming-of-age drama films British independent films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films English-language independent films Films about disability