I was able to attend a screening of the film at the Toronto Film Festival and have nothing but great things to say about it. The film follows Angie as she struggles to find herself in the world and take care of her young son. After being fired from her job she takes it upon herself to start a recruitment agency to bring cheap labour into England from eastern European countries. Although her intentions are good we learn throughout the film how difficult it is to keep things legitimate and even safe. Ken Loach does an amazing job of bringing this story out. It sends a strong message about immigration and labour without preaching. The story is essentially told from the corporations point of view through Angie and shows logic in their cost cutting measures, while at the same time presenting them as inexcusable. The film is gritty and even dirty looking which fits perfectly into the London underbelly that it is trying to show. Lastly the film begins and ends with the dynamic performance of unknown Kierston Wareing. Luckily she spoke at the screening because if she hadn't I wouldn't have been able to believe she was acting. A real star making performance that required nuance as well as strength. She created a real character who's decisions never seemed forced or contrived. I can't say enough good things about it, I hope that many people see this film so they can also appreciate it. The top notch script was created by long time Loach scribe Paul Laverty
Review of It's a Free World...
