Dirty Filthy Love

Who it's for

Co-written by a man who lives with OCD, this funny, tender film shows rituals and unwanted thoughts from the inside without turning them into a punchline.

Feelings it meets

• OCD
• Living With Mental Illness
• Shame

What it is

Dirty Filthy Love is a 2004 ITV television film directed by Adrian Shergold and co-written by Jeff Pope and Ian Puleston-Davies, who drew on his own OCD. Michael Sheen plays Mark, an architect whose compulsions and involuntary swearing cost him his job and his marriage. He meets Charlotte (Shirley Henderson), who recognises what he is going through and invites him to the self-help group she runs.

Where to find it

Released on DVD in the US by Sundance Channel (2005); streaming availability varies, check JustWatch.

Before you start

Heads up: Strong language and marriage breakdown.

Age: Rated R in the US (DVD); suggested 15+

The mind, sharp but not broad, sticks at every point but does not move.Rabindranath Tagore, Stray Birds, no. 50