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Born Equal is a television film produced for the BBC. Written and directed by Dominic Savage, it stars Colin Firth, Robert Carlyle, David Oyelowo, Anne-Marie Duff and Emilia Fox, and explores aspects of poverty, race, inequality, homelessness, immigration and class in modern Britain by following the stories – at times intertwining – of several people living in London.
Robert, a convicted murderer, is released from prison and moves into a hostel in Swiss Cottage. There, he meets the pregnant Michelle, who has been relocated with her young daughter by a social worker to protect them from her abusive husband. Robert and Michelle form a relationship, while Robert continues looking for his mother whom he has not seen for many years.
In the hostel also lives a Nigerians immigrant family – journalist Yemi (David Oyelowo), his wife Itshe (Nikki Amuka-Bird), and their daughter. Yemi works as kitchen help in a restaurant and Itshe as a house cleaner. They desperately need to raise 5,000 pounds to bring Yemi's father from Nigeria to London, before the political gangs who forced them into emigrating kill him.
Mark begins to collaborate with Sally (Julia Davis), the social worker working for the homeless charity and who placed Michelle in the hostel, and helps to allot 17-year-old Zoe (Nichola Burley), who has run away from her abusive stepfather, a room there. He soon becomes very close to the teenager. One night at the hostel, Zoe kisses him, but he rejects her advances and returns home to his wife, who seems distraught by his absences and is convinced that he is having an affair.
Robert finds out that his mother died while he was in prison and breaks off his relationship with Michelle.
Mark and Laura manage to settle their differences in a restaurant: he explains the reasons of his being away and apologises for having been so cruel in his neglect. While driving home after the dinner out, Mark almost hits Robert, who is walking back to the hostel. Enraged by the near-accident, Robert follows them and stabs Mark to death when he comes to the door.
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