Simon Rex turns in a supercharged performance as down-on-his-luck porn star Mikey Saber who washes back up in smalltown Texas beaten and broke, and has to beg his estranged wife, Lexi (Bree Elrod), to take him in. Director Sean Baker has specialised in affectionately depicting life's outsiders in films like Tangerine and The Florida Project, but with this manipulative protagonist he's not afraid to make us squirm.

Mikey is pretty funny on the face of it, but it's not long before he shows his true colours, taking a sleazy shine to the cutely monikered Strawberry (Suzanna Son), a 17-year-old employee of the local Donut Hole. At the same time, he's wheedling his way back into Lexi's bed and re-establishing himself as a drug dealer. Rex's manic energy contrasts appealingly with the film's understated indie charm as well as the often deadpan incredulity with which his character is greeted.

Baker takes a tender, sympathetic approach to depicting a town on its knees, with substance abuse and poverty rife, and blends professional and first-time actors seamlessly, adding to the authenticity. Although there's ample discomfort amidst the hilarity, we're never told what to think.

Red Rocket is in cinemas from Friday 11 March.