Mrs Lowry & Son (PG)

With a passion for the creative, L.S. Lowry dreams of pursuing a life of art. But he’s also desperate to win over his disapproving mother. Starring Vanessa Redgrave and Timothy Spall, this biographical drama explores the complicated relationship between the iconic artist and his harshest critic.

Talented Lancashire-born artist L.S. Lowry (Timothy Spall) adores throwing himself into his art and is most at home with a brush or pencil in his hand. But he’s finding it hard to express his artistic ambition with his difficult, elderly mother, Elizabeth (Vanessa Redgrave), constantly berating his efforts.

Charmed with noticing a beauty in everything, even in his bleak industrial town, the artist feels compelled to capture all he sees, whether on paper or canvas. Spending hours alone with a canvas and his tools, he produces piece after piece, taking care with every stroke of the brush and smudge of the finger.

But his ill-tempered mother isn’t his only critic. As the papers begin to find fault in his unique style, Elizabeth expresses increasing disdain for her son’s work, reading out that one has even called his latest painting confusing, childlike, and insulting.

Cert: PG

Running time: 1hr 31mins