Housewife of the Year review: It seemed largely uncontroversial to award £300 and a gas stove to the woman who could present the best case for her skills as cook, cleaner, comforter and child carer. The competition survived for another five years after Mary Robinson praised the women who “instead of rocking the cradle rocked the system”. Director Ciaran Cassidy’s purpose is, plainly, in part to stand up for the cradle rockers. This is a film filled with much sadness, writes Donald Clarke
