With cheesy teenage films coming out in the main stream I found it incredibly refreshing to get the opportunity to see the authentic and honest independent drama "Urban Hymn". This raw movie is about a troubled teen (Letitia Wright) who gets mentored by altruistic social worker (Shirley Henderson) who persuades her to take her talents of singing and performance and seek a healthy and successful life with it. This impactful movie opened my eyes to the importance of helping someone in need and the dangers of being around toxic and manipulative people. I genuinely feel that this coming-of-age film has so many valuable lessons revolving around never giving up, following your own passion, and accepting help from those open to giving it. I enjoyed seeing how Jamie and Kate (Shirley Henderson) friendship become stronger over time and I think it was incredibly meaningful that Jamie uses Kate's life advice and lessons to help her live the life she is entitled to even after Kate is gone. Another meaningful scene was when Jamie's (Letitia Wright) reckless friends barge in to Jamie's chorus group and make fun of the class, and Jamie tells them to leave and stands up for herself and the other chorus singers. It shows how much character development she has gone through and made me so excited to see her character transform in such a positive way. I loved every minute of this heart-wrenching and I highly recommend you taking the time to watch this!

Jamie is alone in the World except for her best mate Leanne (who is a sort of South London hard nut) and they have gotten on the wrong side of the tracks. This is against the backdrop of the riots in London of 2011 which they took advantage of.

Anyway they are in a Council run care home when a new social worker turns up who is determined to make a difference and then sees music as a possible way to reach out to Jamie to save/help her.

Now a lot of these themes have been used before – falling in with the wrong crowd, nurture versus nature and the idea that all the 'kids' need to find their way out of the gutter is one piece of inspiration; whether it be baseball, rap music or macramé. But this seems to do it with a fresh twist and the music is all great too.

Do not expect anything too 'gritty' either this is all a bit sanitised but it still has enough of an 'edge' to make it pack a punch albeit not a 'sucker' one.

Urban Hymn is an emotional, uplifting coming of age story about a young orphan named Jamie Harrison, portrayed by Letitia Wright, who has a passion for music. The director Michael Caton-Jones uses the gritty, realistic setting of life in impoverished London to drag the viewer into the realities of violence, drugs, and crime that the characters face. The expert use of this setting immerses the viewer and makes them seriously reflect on the methods the characters use to cope with the obstacles they face. Kate, a professor turned social worker, turns to her job to deal with the murder of her teenage son at the hands of troubled youths, just like the ones she works with. Jamie struggles to choose between her love for singing and the tempting life of crime and fun lead by her closest friend, Leanne. All the while, Leanne herself deals with the repercussions of her lifestyle and the distance that is growing between her and Jamie. Even if you haven't personally dealt with the problems that these characters face, their situations are authentic and relatable. The story deals with a myriad of themes from parenthood and friendship to abandonment and redemption, and still manages to balance them all into a cohesive narrative. No character is written without their faults, resulting in a very human story. For those of you like me who enjoy true-to-life characters and settings coupled with great stories, you will love Urban Hymn.