CINEMATIC Review

KES   ***1/2

Ken Loach

1970

IDEA:   A young boy in working class England struggles to find joy in a drab, authoritative town.

BLURB:   A defining entry in child related cinema, and perhaps the ultimate depiction of youth caught in the drudgery of a working-class educational system. Billy is constantly shut down by the people – and the environment – around him. A boy not given an opportunity, without the necessary means to succeed or prove his worth, he is shredded through the dispiriting impersonality of institutionalized rules. With no one else to turn to, he finds consolidation and warmth in a special pet, not a dog or a cat, but a small falcon he names Kes. The animal is his outlet to passion, happiness, and peace, a symbol of temporary liberation in days governed by dehumanizing rules. David Bradley turns in one of the most convincing performances ever given by a young actor, and the film equals his sweet, solemn grace.