Tully is one of those movies you can’t say too much about or you’ll ruin it.

What I can say is I wasn’t that excited about going to this one, but I left in awe. Tully is a clever, subtle, very real movie dealing with an important issue.

The movie tells the story of Marlo (Charlize Theron), a mother of two with a third on the way any day. Even before the baby is born we glean that Marlo’s life is not easy. With husband Drew (Ron Livingston) often working away from the home, Marlo is basically operating as a single mother. Add into the mix her youngest son Dallas (Joshua Pak), who’s frequently dubbed ‘quirky’.

One night, at a dinner hosted by Marlo’s successful brother, her brother suggests they get a night nurse. He even knows of a lady who comes highly recommended, a young woman called Tully (Mackenzie Davis).

Marlo initially finds the thought abhorrent, but when the baby is born and her son’s ‘quirks’ no longer considered cute at school, she decides to call the night nurse.

Arriving in the dead of night when everyone else is asleep Tully enters the house and soon suggests her role is to look after Marlo, not the baby.

The drama moves along at a steady pace, the underlying sense of dread building. You just know something’s going to happen. Your mind races at several points about possible pitfalls, leaving you wanting to scream at the screen. At one point I was sure I knew what was going to happen and if I’m honest I felt a little disappointed, thinking the movie was going to fall into a familiar genre or stereotype, but I was completely wrong. The full impact is not felt until the final scenes. Very clever.

This may be a difficult film for some to watch but it is completely worth it. There’s an excellent jogging scene, go for that alone. The movie provides a very real look at motherhood and while not a massive fan of Theron she definitely deserves recognition for this one, her performance is so real and raw.

For more information go to Luna Cinemas.