SORRY WE MISSED YOU
Ken LOACH — UK, FRANCE, BELGIUM — 100 minutes
IN A NUTSHELL
Ken Loach’s latest film deals with zero-hour contracts and the complications that these type of employment contracts bring. The film follows Ricky (Kris Hitchen) and Abby (Debbie Honeywood) and their two children live in Newcastle. Ricky and his family have been struggling to get out of debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self employed delivery driver. (words by Bianca Garner)
CRITICAL RESPONSE
“Loach lays it on thick. The system has always been depicted in his films as a way to crush you and your family; say goodbye to your hopes and dreams boyo, this is capitalism. The relentless and assaultive barrage of misery is damn-near exhausting, to the point where the film feels like a double album compilation of Ken Loach’s Greatest Hits, a mashup of all the marquee tunes, themes and ideals of his films, all bundled up into a single entity.” — Jordan Ruimy, World of Reel
“Like I, Daniel Blake, it is substantially researched through many off-the-record interviews, and rich in detail. But I think this film is better: it is more dramatically varied and digested, with more light and shade in its narrative progress and more for the cast to do collectively. I was hit in the solar plexus by this movie, wiped out by the simple honesty and integrity of the performances.” — Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
“The extraordinary Hitchen, a former self-employed plumber who came to acting at age 40 and is like a blue-collar Damian Lewis, anchors the drama with wrenching authenticity, conveying all the anger and frustration and anxiety that threaten to crush Ricky’s spirit and corrode the family unity he so values. Honeywood is intensely moving, kindness and common-sense intelligence embedded in her every scene, without excluding the frazzled weight of worry that wears her down. This is an expertly judged and profoundly humane movie, made without frills or fuss but startlingly direct in its emotional depiction of the tough stuff that is the fiber of so many ordinary lives, particularly in the present era of widening income inequality.” — David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
PRIZE PROSPECTS
Ken Loach, not only a four decade veteran of the Cannes Film Festival, entices juries with his no frills, grounded social dramas. His films have won a barrel of prizes over the years, but surprisingly enough that does not include a Best Director prize. Might be too soon after I, Daniel Blake to take that stat too seriously at the moment, though a top three prize would certainly not be a shock.
Elsewhere, screenwriter Paul Laverty is guaranteed to be at the forefront of conversation with the jury. His words on the page offer such a poignant, relevant outlook of the British system. Then we can go to the acting. Debbie Honeywood has a couple of big, showy scenes, and is getting rave reviews. But I can’t help feeling that bigger, more central performances will overshadow her, a bit like with Hayley Squires last time Loach was on the circuit with I, Daniel Blake. The film’s best bet, then, might actually be virtually unknown, but commanding, Kris Hitchen for Best Actor. (words by Robin Write)
