Genre: Drama
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Kierston Wareing, Juliet Ellis
Running Time: 96 minutes (plus trailers)
Do you feel like there’s hope for humanity? You do? Well, we’ll soon put a stop to that.
Director Ken Loach subscribes to the barebones realism school of film-making. Minimal special effects, no name actors, long plain camera shots that make you feel as though you are really there in whatever depressing situation he has created. I must confess that I am not very familiar with his work, but wikipedia tells me that his films usually deal with social issues such as homelessness and labour rights. In this outing, the topic at hand is the exploitation of illegal immigrants. Kierston Wareing plays Angie, a single mother living in London who sets up an agency providing labour to factories and other businesses. Essentially, she jams immigrants into vans so they can be shipped out to work for a pittance without any guarantee of safety or future work. As the film goes on, things get out of hand, money runs out, and Angie finds herself in serious danger. The entire message of the film seems to be about the futility of the situation; Angie is often horribly manipulative, and yet she herself is a victim, and viewers will find themselves alternating between despising and sympathizing with her. Various other characters, such as her father, her business partner and her lover represent different points of view on the issue; the great things about Loaches style is that he never passes judgement on any of the characters. Instead, he leaves you free to make up your own mind. The people portrayed in this film exists in a grey area; there is no clear villain or hero, just a group of people who get repeatedly screwed by the system. In the end, nobody wins, and you leave the cinema contemplating not the issue, but which method of suicide is better.
Now, do I recommend the movie? It explores a very important issue, an issue that more people should be made aware of. The acting is good, all the characters are believable, and the film is very well made. And yet, I never want to see it again. What happens during the film is soul crushing, but because of the moral ambiguity that Loach creates there is no one person to blame. I don’t hate Angie; despite all the terrible things she does, I can feel nothing but pity for this woman who only wants to care for her son. This, of course, is a testament to how good It’s A Free World really is. My finally recommendation is that unless you are interested in the issue, or in film-making, avoid this highly depressing, highly frustrating film, not because it is bad, but because it is not in the least bit enjoyable. It’s a selfish thing to say, but I’d rather face the sugar coated reality of Slumdog Millionaire than the depressing truth that It’s A Free World depicts.
Rating: 7/10
