Having a loved one suffer a stroke seemingly out of nowhere is terrifying. In some cases, the symptoms come thick and fast, and the effects could be devastating. Not just for the person who suffered it, but for the family as well.

This is what happens in the case of Mary, a completely normal, loving grandmother who, while driving her granddaughters home after blagging some naughty fish and chips, suffers a stroke that leaves her collapsed at the wheel.

Thankfully, everyone makes it out of the car alive – but daughters Jenny and Claire are horrified to discover their mum has suffered a stroke, leaving her unable to move properly, talk properly, or even remember them.

As if that wasnt hard enough, the hospital appears to be completely unwilling to help, considering the elderly Mary a strain on the NHSs resources when they could go on to save those in more immediate danger, or those with a longer life expectancy.

With no one to turn to, Jenny takes her mother into her home and becomes her carer, which, on top of a pending divorce, co-parenting her two daughters and losing her job, is more than enough to send everyone to the brink.

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Its a tale that seems extreme but not beyond the realm of possibility, and told through the frustration of both Jenny and Mary, the film will have you blubbing by the 90 minutes end.

This is a relentlessly heartbreaking tale, with some scenes of Mary desperately trying to communicate to those around her being extremely difficult to watch at points. But its 100% worth a watch, if only to understand just what it is people are going through during these moments.

Alison Steadman is truly extraordinary as the trapped Mary, whose brain is clinging onto her former self while the rest of the world moves on as if shes not there. Using subtitles to decipher her thoughts while everyone else just hears the incoherent ramblings of a sick woman is truly devastating, and she carries the role with the honesty and gravity it deserves.

While most may say that the story is carried on Sheridans shoulders, and it does, its Alisons performance that is the truly memorable of the two. But its the little moments the two of them share that make the film beautiful. The glimmers of who Mary once was coming through that causes Jenny to push forward with her mission while everyone else is telling her to dump her mum in a care home.

Sheridans capability to make everything relatable brings us to her level as her characters life begin to unravel. Its something shes showed time and again through her work and its what makes her so special as an actress. The moments of pure anger and frustration compared to those of fleeting moments of being happy. This film has Bafta written all over it for both these women, and they should win.

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Sinead Keenan, Lois Chimimba and Anthony Flanagan round out the leading cast members and provide perfect fodder for our anger and sympathy in equal measure.

For the BBC, who tends to like these kinds of stories in three-parts, its undeniably brave to slam it all together in one 90 minute timeslot – but its completely worth it. Just be prepared to have a lie down afterwards, as while its brilliant, its exhausting.

Care airs Sunday 9 December, 9pm on BBC One.

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