Verdict: "Saved" on SBS

The made-for-TV movie Saved aired on SBS on Sunday night.

Starring the amazing Claudia Karvan, it is the story of a woman's involvement with a refugee needing help applying for a visa. I was really looking forward to this film - unfortunately I may have been expecting too much. First of all - as if it has to be said - Karvan is stunning. She simply plays every role to perfection - this character was so complex, we didn't know whether to love her or hate her - to feel sorry for her or to believe she got everything she deserved - she was just so damaged.

The cinematography is dark and bare - which is perfect for the story. The music is middle-eastern with a western twist and is a great accompinament to the narrative ... so what's my problem??

Basically the story was a bit slow - the character developments weren't as in-depth as I would have liked and Karvan's brilliance far outshone the rest of the cast.

Overall though it was a good home-made piece of entertainment and was relevant and well done. Interestingly, when I chatted to a male friend the next day about the film he was very adamant that the husband had been hard done by and that Karvan's lead character was a "bitch". I found it intriguing - oh to be a male and able to take things at face value!

I give Saved a 6.5 out of 10.