Tyrannosaur

Despite its title, Tyrannosaur has nothing to do with dinosaurs. Still, it has plenty of bite. The socio-realistic drama from British actor-turned-director Paddy Considine puts its characters and viewers through the wringer, spinning a difficult and gritty story of human violence with, alas, only glimmers of hope.
Peter Mullan stars as Joseph, an unemployed widower making his way through his everyday, bleak life. Joseph is not a happy man. In the opening sequence, we see him walk out of a house and beat his dog to death out of drunken anger. He’s lost his wife, family and now best friend. He’s lost everything—all hope.
Then he meets Hannah (played persuasively by Olivia Colman), a Christian volunteer worker who appears to be his salvation. She’s calm, pretty and sweet and even offers to pray for Joseph when he shows up in her shop—a poignant moment for both of them. She’s everything he needs.
Joseph and Hannah begin to form a powerful bond, but before Tyrannosaur can settle into a traditional story of redemption, Considine spins the whole narrative on its head.
For Hannah has her own demons. Despite being married, privileged and strong in her faith, she reveals her inability to have a baby and be a mother—something she desperately wants—and that her husband (played nastily by Eddie Marsan) beats her. These circumstances eventually lead her to retaliate, forcing Joseph to take his turn as savior in their savior/saved relationship.