A fascinating and superbly performed true-life story, Can You Ever Forgive Me? portrays how ego and desperation can bring out the worst in any of us.

Lee Israel is not a very likeable person. Incredibly abusive and fluent in the art of Jack Daniels, Israel’s disagreeable nature is matched by her talents as a writer. Yet this once NY Times best selling biographer can not sell a book to save her soul. On top of that her rent is due. And her cat is sick.

What to do when your back is against the wall? Lie, cheat and steal, of course. And thus the legend of Lee Israel was born, as chronicled in the aptly titled Can You Ever Forgive Me?. Directed by Marielle Heller (Diary of a Teenage Girl), and written by Nicole Holofcener (Enough Said) and Jeff Whitty, Can You Ever Forgive Me? will test the limits of those who will find Israel’s unpleasantness too much to handle. But stick with it through the jarring grumpiness, and you will find one of the best and astute character performances this year. Melissa McCarthy has taken on all form of wretched character during her career so far, most of them in movies that were not amongst the years best. Her turn as Israel is exceptional, treading that line between repulsive character and sympathetic figure in a turn that wins its audience over despite the characters questionable life choices.

Equally good is Richard E. Grant as gay hustler Jack Hock. Proving that every scoundrel needs a running mate, Hock gives Israel that one thing she feared: companionship, especially during their late-night drinking splurges. Grant plays the part one-half charismatic gent, and the other half deceptive con man, a thin layer of British charm masking a man emotionally and physically beaten by a cruel and unforgiving world.

Set during the early 1990s in New York City (where the film was shot), director Marielle Heller effectively uses the many NYC streets, bars, book stores, and one very messy apartment as backdrop to this low-key crime story where two loners try to survive no matter the cost. Cinematographer Brandon Trust captures those browns, greys, and golds found in the various dimly lit locales within, while the shots of NYC in winter is particularly striking.

Heller has brought Israel’s story to life with intimacy, stakes, and artistry. The characters within may not be the most likeable, yet their story is as surprisingly heartfelt as they come, a delve into bitterness, loneliness, and self-destructive tendencies, yet told with a big booming heart.