Director Ken Loach received international acclaim for this enormously moving tale of a lonely working-class Yorkshire boy, who turns from a life of comic books and shoplifting when he finds a baby kestrel and decides to raise and train it.
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Compelling social drama.
5
By EssEss
This is an excellent film that showcases a part of Northern England that has long since disappeared. David Bradley plays Billy, a loner of a 15-year old attending a failing Secondary Modern on what would now be termed a 'sink estate'. Bullied by all, including his much older brother, Jud (Freddie Fletcher), Billy seeks solace by taking a fledgling kestrel from it's nest and training it. From this simple relationship, he begins to find some sort of purpose in his deeply grim life. Amongst his unhappy school-life, there is some humour; Brian Glover plays a bully of a P.E teacher with such hilarity (and realism- I was at school during that period), the school football match has gone down as many people's most funny film scene! All the acting is first-rate; the school-boys, including Bradley were recruited locally, hence the specific Barnsley accents. Even though the subject matter is not a happy one, this is a very good film. Do try it.
