--- title: "Murdered for Being Different" year: 2017 kind: "film" canonical: "https://film.one/film/murdered-for-being-different" fi1m_id: "murdered-for-being-different" imdb_id: "tt6981066" tmdb_id: 463709 wikidata_id: "Q64214345" fi1m_score: 81 critics_reviews: 2 published: "2026-10-07T18:15:20.849570+00:00" updated: "2026-10-07T18:15:21.322286+00:00" region: "LT" licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL." --- # Murdered for Being Different (2017) Directed by Paul Andrew Williams · 1h 02m · Crime, Drama ## Identity Murdered for Being Different - **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/murdered-for-being-different - **Type:** Film - **Fi1m ID:** murdered-for-being-different - **IMDb ID:** tt6981066 - **TMDB ID:** 463709 - **Wikidata ID:** Q64214345 - **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6981066/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/463709, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q64214345 **Fi1m score: 81** · Critics: 2 of 6 reviews so far *In a sentence:* We kept thinking about the girl reading *Harry Potter* > Paul Andrew Williams gives Sophie and Rob’s affection the attention it deserves. The supporting characters need more room, but this is a humane, upsetting crime drama whose tenderness makes the violence harder to bear. ## Synopsis Sophie Lancaster (Abigail Lawrie) and Rob Maltby (Nico Mirallegro) are a couple whose affection is part of an ordinary life: Sophie reads *Harry Potter*, and the two want to be together without having to apologise for who they are. Violence interrupts that life. DC Steph Farley (Chanel Cresswell) and DC Mark Green (Dominic Carter) are the officers in a story that also includes Tracey Maltby (Sally Lindsay). The couple’s relationship remains central as the drama turns towards the crime committed against them. ## Review *Murdered for Being Different* is a humane, upsetting crime drama, and its care for Sophie and Rob makes it worth watching. Director Paul Andrew Williams and writer Nick Leather understand that the couple’s affection needs to matter before the violence can mean anything beyond another dreadful crime. There is a risk with a title this blunt that the people will disappear beneath the lesson we are meant to learn. The film avoids that most successfully when it concentrates on their relationship. Abigail Lawrie gives Sophie Lancaster a warmth that makes us want to spend time with her. Sophie’s *Harry Potter* reading is a useful detail because it gives her an interest with no obligation to explain the crime or represent anyone else. We were moved by that small pleasure; for a moment we could think about what she likes, away from the violence. Nico Mirallegro’s Rob Maltby helps make their affection convincing, giving us another reason to care about the ordinary life they share. Paul Andrew Williams has the harder task of making violence count without letting it take possession of the film. The relationship gives those passages their force, and keeping the couple in our thoughts prevents the cruelty from becoming the only thing to remember. Navid Asghari’s music supports the sadness, though the central performances do most of the work. Against crime dramas that use a victim’s private life as a brief introduction to an investigation, this attention feels both welcome and necessary. The limitation is how little room remains for the people around them. Chanel Cresswell as DC Steph Farley and Sally Lindsay as Tracey Maltby help give the story a wider human presence, but those supporting roles feel restricted beside the central couple. Nick Leather’s writing gives us enough to follow these people without making them equally vivid. We wanted more time with them, particularly in a drama asking us to look properly at people whom others have dismissed. At 62 minutes, the film is concise enough to avoid wearing down its strongest material. That economy also sharpens the imbalance: the love story stays with us, while the surrounding crime drama feels less fully developed. A longer film would not automatically be a better one, but a little more space might have made those other lives count for more. As it stands, the tenderness of the leads is asked to carry a great deal. There is nothing comfortable about recommending this for an evening’s viewing. Its violence is upsetting, and the affection that makes it worthwhile also makes it harder to sit through. Still, Sophie is allowed interests and a relationship that deserve attention in themselves, and that is where the film earns ours. Give it an evening when there is time afterwards to talk about something other than the crime. *Fi1m score 81, published 7 October 2026.* ## Straight answers **Is Murdered for Being Different worth watching?** *Murdered for Being Different* is worth watching for its tender central relationship and humane treatment of an upsetting crime, and we score it 81 out of 100. Abigail Lawrie and Nico Mirallegro make Sophie and Rob’s affection convincing, though the supporting characters need more room; we recommend it for an evening when difficult drama feels manageable. **How long is Murdered for Being Different, and what is it rated?** *Murdered for Being Different* runs 1h 02m. It is a crime and drama film. **Where can I watch Murdered for Being Different in Lithuania?** *Murdered for Being Different* is not on any streaming or rental service in Lithuania at the moment. It is available in 1 other country; change your country at the top of the page to see where. Availability is checked daily. **How violent or frightening is Murdered for Being Different, and is it suitable for children?** *Murdered for Being Different* contains upsetting violence, and we would not recommend it for children or viewers who struggle with cruelty. No UK or US certificate is supplied, so we cannot offer an age-rating guide. The review’s clearest warning is that Sophie and Rob’s convincing affection makes the violence against them harder to bear. **How does Murdered for Being Different compare to This Is England?** *Murdered for Being Different* is the more relationship-focused choice beside [*This Is England*](https://film.one/film/this-is-england), concentrating on a couple’s affection rather than the appeal of belonging to a gang. We favour *This Is England* for its wider mix of warmth, humour and frightening performances, despite some overly neat political lessons; Sophie and Rob’s tenderness makes *Murdered for Being Different* worth choosing, despite its underdeveloped supporting roles. **What should I watch after Murdered for Being Different?** After *Murdered for Being Different*, try [*This Is England*](https://film.one/film/this-is-england) (2006, Fi1m 85): For another British drama that understands belonging, affection and the threat of violence. Then [*A Silent Voice*](https://film.one/film/a-silent-voice-the-movie) (2016, Fi1m 80): Bullying and its aftermath, with room for tenderness and difficult feelings; and [*My Beautiful Laundrette*](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette) (1985, Fi1m 85): A British love story with a frank understanding of prejudice and desire. ### Reviews we read (2) - **The Guardian**, Julia Raeside (75/100, inferred): Raeside finds the drama affecting and powerful, with an ending that honours Sophie’s defiance. She singles out the tender portrayal of Sophie and Rob’s love, which makes the violence all the more devastating. [Read](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/tvandradioblog/2017/jun/16/murdered-for-being-different-review-sophie-and-robs-love-story-is-at-the-heart-of-this-affecting-film) - **Den of Geek**, Caroline Preece (80/100, inferred): Preece finds the drama powerful and argues that it makes a compelling case for embracing difference. She singles out Sophie’s Harry Potter reading as a humanizing touch and praises Robert’s defiant final walk. [Read](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/bbc-threes-murdered-for-being-different-review/) ## Details - **Director:** Paul Andrew Williams - **Director:** Paul Andrew Williams - **Writer:** Nick Leather - **Music:** Navid Asghari - **Cast:** Abigail Lawrie as Sophie Lancaster; Nico Mirallegro as Rob Maltby; Chanel Cresswell as DC Steph Farley; Sally Lindsay as Tracey Maltby; Sophie McShera as Mandy Gorman; Lewis Brown as Danny Hulme; Dominic Carter as DC Mark Green; Amelia Clarke as Sam Gorman - **Runtime:** 1h 02m - **First release (the UK):** 18 June 2017 - **Genres:** Crime, Drama - **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i03k13KF1G4 ## Where to watch in Lithuania Not streaming, renting or buying in Lithuania at the last check. Also available in: US. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country. ## If you liked this - *This Is England* (2006), Fi1m 85: For another British drama that understands belonging, affection and the threat of violence. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/this-is-england.md) - *Tomboy* (2011): A child’s efforts to belong receive patient attention, without becoming a lesson. - *A Silent Voice* (2016), Fi1m 80: Bullying and its aftermath, with room for tenderness and difficult feelings. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/a-silent-voice-the-movie.md) - *My Beautiful Laundrette* (1985), Fi1m 85: A British love story with a frank understanding of prejudice and desire. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/my-beautiful-laundrette.md) - *Close* (2022), Fi1m 75: Another tender account of affection made vulnerable by other people’s expectations. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/close.md) --- © Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/murdered-for-being-different