Ken Loach is one the most critically acclaimed British Directors and Screenwriter for his socially aware, realistic films that tackle problems like poverty, the education system and the cost-of-living crisis. Ken has won and been nominated for many awards over the years, receiving Baftas and winning many film festivals. However, people are very mixed on him as a filmmaker as he has the courage to take on many problems that has faced Britain over the past 50 years, getting a mixture of love for his relatability and his realistic stories and characters, and a hate for the fact he covers problems that the lower-class people face, that some people don't understand the different class difference and the different lives/problems they face. He was also member of the Labour Party for three decades, the Party for the working class and his film reflect the oppressions they face.
My favorite piece of Ken Loach's work is the 1969 Film, Kes, a heartfelt story of youth and love, that takes on the theme of the broken education system in 60s Britain, and the sense of freedom and expression, which he's sees through his pet hawk, Kes. As Billy, (played brilliantly by the eight, year old David Bradley) gets bullied in school by his classmates, hurt by his teachers and has an unsupportive mother and household, he finds indivulaism and love for his new friend Kes. It is beautiful and saddening film that I recommend to everyone to watch.
Ken loach has a very down to earth directing style, nothing is ever flashy or extreme, he uses a lot of long shots, to show off the environment around his films, as he shoots on location, making everything feel so realistic. He also combines this with the use of natural lighting and using first time actors, making everyone of his films feel so authentic and real. However, some people may see this as being boring, dull or even uninspired but his brilliant storytelling, characters and themes that barley another film tackles are what keeps me, and many others so engaged in his work.
Ken has also outright said he would never work in America for a film and the pressure he was faced by The British Film Industry, for his ideologies and viewpoints of certain classes or people in Britain, made him stop making films for many years. However, at the age of 86, he doesn't seem to be stopping, especially after one of his more recent films - I, Daniel Blake was so well received for its story, and tackle on the benefits system in UK, has made him in to quite a cult figure in British History, and the fact he had the courage to faced uneasy issues that some people don't want to hear about, has made him such an important filmmaker in British Cinema and Britain itself.
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