World Premiere

Short Synopsis:

Five women, all working as street prostitutes to fund drug habits, were murdered in the British town of Ipswich in 2006. This is their story.

Review:

Produced by the BBC, Five Daughters is a touching and compelling tale based on the true, tragic story of the five girls murdered in Ipswich. The film dramatises the last few days in the lives of Gemma Adams (Aisling Loftus), Anneli Alderton (Jaime Winstone), Annette Nicholls (Eva Birthistle) and Paula Clennel (Natalie Press), murdered in December 2006 at the hands of a serial killer, dubbed the ‘Ipswich Ripper’. When 19-year-old Tania Nicol is found dead, the police start investigating, only to find that other murders being carried out in the same area may be linked.

The film portrays the harsh reality of the victims’ lives in the grim, dark streets of Ipswich’s Red Light District, where the cold winter contrasts with the tacky cheerfulness of Christmas decorations. All of the girls were drug users, addicted to heroin, and worked the streets to fund their habit. Torn between their will to live and the pull of their addiction, which made them resort to prostitution again and again, we see them going towards their deaths in a chilling fashion. The actors’ heart wrenching performances bring to life a tragedy that shocked the nation. Part thriller and part police reconstruction, testimonies from direct witnesses, friends and relatives have helped to render the story as accurate as possible.

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