It will be a pity if viewers are too put off by the subject to see Aniston's bravura turn, a tour de force that also tells us something about what we can and can't accept in women's performances, our threshold for unlikability and unprettiness.

You hope for the tang of lemon drizzle; what you ultimately get is Madeira, with the proverbial soggy bottom.

I was in pain during this indie drama, which may explain why I enjoyed it.

Cake wants to be edgy and genuine, to expose raw and visceral feelings. But it keeps from mining the most searing dramatic soil because, given the nature of the tragedy which it orbits, confronting them head-on may prove uncomfortable to audiences.