Cert 15 90mins Stars 4

There’s a darkness on the edge of town in this melancholy, funny, excruciating and wonderfully affecting comedy-drama which takes its name from a Bruce Springsteen song.

However there’s barely any music in the film which is made in a naturalistic almost documentary style far removed from the wildly romanticised epic tune of The Boss, in a successful attempt to more realistically portray small town US life.

However the song is interpreted through the medium of amateur dance, which is certainly something I never expected to see.

Based on his 2016 short film of the same name, it’s the remarkably accomplished directorial debut feature of writer and star, Jim Cummings, who delivers a bravura performance of dignity, shame and sarcasm as a socially awkward local cop.

With his life shaped by his relationships with his mother, daughter, sister and ex-wife, Cummings uses his characters mental breakdown to examine the psyche of repressed, gun wielding white males and bring the state of the US heartland into focus.