Being shown as a double bill with Vacuuming Completely Nude in Paradise, Strumpet might have been given a similar title - Playing Guitar Completely Nude in a Housing Estate. This is one of the enduring images of the film, when urban poet, Strayman (Christopher Eccleston), scribbles lines on his wall, while waif, Strumpet (Jenna G), encourages and inspires him by guitar playing in the buff.

The film is so driven by bizarre and slightly surreal imagery that in watching you might start to wonder whether it was a case of shot before plot. For instance, did the creators have a vision of a strange, wolf-featured bloke striding across a grim Northern wasteland, with 20 assorted dogs, and think, lets weave a story around that? The answer is yes. As writer, Jim Cartwright, says, "I always had the image of the dogs in my mind and everything else came out of that," which is fine, but if you're looking for a strong narrative and compelling character development, forget it. Like Vacuuming, Strumpet (the name Strayman gives his stray bitches) is peopled with super-real characters, playing parts in a contemporary fairytale amongst the seemingly hopeless landscape of Northern England's underclass.

Also, the film starts with a bang, at a social club, where the clients, resembling figures from a Dutch 17th century painting, take turns at providing the entertainment. Strayman recites a John Cooper Clark poem and has the audience joining in with the angry diatribe. Unfortunately, his own poetry is not as compelling as Clark's and although Jenna G is a seasoned nightclub singer, her voice does not seem to have quite the character and force that you would expect.

Although Vacuuming is a film based on words and Strumpet is about two characters, who have difficulty in verbal communication, using rhyme and music as their language, Timothy Spall's rantings are easily more memorable than Strumpet's central song, written by cast, director and writer during the making of the film, a risky venture in a big budget movie, although perfectly suited to its organic nature.

Knockoff (Stephen Walters), the duo's self-appointed manager has the dynamism, drive and energy of Spall's character, but his heart is in the right place. When Strayman storms Top Of The Pops with his pack of dogs to join Strumpet, Knockoff is right behind him. Without Strayman, whose attitude does not suit the London record company, Strumpet is in danger of being watered down into a Spice Girl. With him, she regains her confidence and strips to bra and knickers, letting him take the lead with the vocals.

Strayman and Strumpet do not forget their roots. Strumpet is not impressed by the high life ("It's just the same, but with regular meals") and wants to return to the housing estate. The final scene finds them dancing on top of a disused factory chimney, on which the letters R.A.G.E. have been painted. These are Knockoff's initials and having them emblazoned there fulfills his dearest dream.

Multiple angles achieved by a host of DV cameras - even the Jack Russell has one attached to its head - lends the film a raw energy, which perfectly suits the subject matter. Never before has cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle, known for the Dogme films, Festen and The Idiots, co-ordinated so many cameras.

This aspect of the film is what director Danny Boyle is most excited about and feels that the use of DV could revolutionise BBC drama. Both Vacuuming and Strumpet were made for television. Will Boyle continue his voyage into this brave new world? Undoubtedly, but his current project is on celluloid, a fully-fledged movie, 28 Days Ago, written by Alex Garland, author of The Beach. Christopher Eccleston has strayed into this one too, where, hopefully, he will not be singing.