It's a Free World...

This movie is given an extra boost by its considerable realism. Acting, situations and people are so real that every character seems to be played by men and women in their lives, rather than by professional actors. Ken Loach limits himself to set out the problem and doesn't offer any solutions (that probably don't even exist); the huge problem is poor folks entering the UK, being exploited and given a starvation pay whereas many Britons think the problem of their country is them seeking a better life. The lead actress is shown as a very negative but memorable character, and every situation is seen from her angle, the one of a girl trying to redeem herself in such a negative way. Overall the film is excellent for its fullness and for its realistic roles (Angie's father as well).

Winner of the award for Best Screenplay at the Venice Film Festival, It's a Free World, the seventh collaboration between director Ken Loach and writer Paul Laverty, is a compelling look at the recruitment and exploitation of European undocumented workers, a subject touched upon recently in Stephen Frears' Dirty Pretty Things. As in many of Loach's earlier films, It's a Free World has a strong feeling for those who live on the margins in a society that does not care and, uncharacteristically for Loach, is surprisingly even-handed, showing the viewpoint of both the victim and the victimizer.

The film begins in Poland as a group of recruits gather around the CoreForce Recruitment Agency, willing to pay money for the right to work in the U.K. Given temporary visas, they manage to land jobs in construction, factory work, or farm labor at minimum wage without any trace of benefits or job security. When Angie (Kierston Wareing), a thirty-three year-old working class recruiter from London is fired for complaining about sexual harassment on the job, she joins with her roommate Rose (Juliet Ellis) in building her own agency in the U.K., matching immigrants from Eastern Europe with employers in London. Riding around on her motorbike, she interviews prospective employers and locates temporary shelters for her workers who must pay extra for the housing.

At the outset, conscious of the law and of her integrity, Angie establishes the rule that she will not provide employment to undocumented workers. Much to Rose's chagrin, Angie soon bends these rules and slowly begins to lose her moral compass, joining the competition in the recruiting and exploiting of illegal immigrants. Though she shows compassion in supporting an Iranian refugee who is desperately looking for work, she later calls the Immigration Department to arrest illegal workers who are living in housing provided by a competitor. Angie's change may be prompted by the reminder of her need to provide for her eleven-year-old son Jamie (Joe Siffleet) who has been living with her parents and has developed a proclivity to break other students' jaws at school.

Her father Geoff (Colin Caughlin) visits and tries to be encouraging about her new business but his stance is simple: immigrants have brought their troubles onto themselves and should not take up any of our concerns. When Angie justifies her actions by saying that if the workers didn't want the jobs, they wouldn't show up, it is reminiscent of politicians who blame the media for their moral and spiritual retreats. The issues crystallize when a friendly construction foreman is ripped off and Angie is unable to pay her workers, leading to a physical assaulted and a threat against Jamie by the angry workers.

In her first feature film performance, Kierston Wareing shows great promise as the blonde, leather-jacketed, motorcycle-riding entrepreneur who is willing to deal with the sleazier aspects of the business. With the knowledge that decades of public policy have led to this situation, however, Loach does not single her out as the only culprit, simply one who is unable to look beyond a value system that can only see what is in their immediate material self interest. Though It's a Free World is far less impactful than some of the earlier Loach-Laverty collaborations, it is a strong film that does not pull its punches and did not deserve a one-day U.K. opening and a direct-to-DVD treatment.

When single mother Angie is fired from her job at an employment agency, she teams up with flat-mate Rose, and they venture into London's black market economy. They supply illegal immigrant labor to sweatshops and construction projects, before expanding into providing accommodation for her workers at exploitative rents. When Rose starts feeling queasy about the amorality of their schemes, Angie bamboozles her with empty promises of improved behavior in the future.

Writer Paul Laverty creates a credible and complex character, as his protagonist ruthlessly exploits society's victims, but later surrenders to a compassionate impulse and helps a family of Iranian political refugees. Angie's life becomes a catalogue of broken relationships, betrayals and brushes with authority, until her back-alley empire eventually implodes. Her journey can be seen as a metaphor of Britain's colonial rapaciousness and its repercussions, when retribution arrives in the form of shadowy individuals seeking payback. The gritty story is complemented by an excellent cast, and a break-out performance from Kierston Wareing as Angie. Needless to say, Ken Loach navigates through this seedy netherworld with his customary skill, but it's a rough ride through a bleak landscape.

As a non-Brit it is amazing and certainly amusing to see all the British behave in such a distinct way, only common to the islanders and I do not mean any of that slur which this politicised film tries to mobilise against. For example, scenes in which family is involved, are beautiful characterisations of more or less typical working class households, or rather any British folks.

However, this film as well portrays fair business, the downside of capitalistic societies, in which free market only stops at borders, where nationality defines status and not your labour. Refreshingly, no easy answers are offer, no left-leaning ideologies or right-wing polemics penetrate the film. Thus, it is able to scratch a picture of phenomena without solutions; hence, not very entertaining.

Anyway, it is worthwhile to watch It's a Free World,only if it were for the insightful studies into human behaviour.

Enjoy it.

I often feel like giving a film a ten somehow weakens the review and arguments but in my humble opinion this latest work from Ken Loach is absolutely spot on! The element I applaud the most is its nuances and subtlety. Nothing is black and white, the characters are complex and display at times total disregard for humanity and at others touching empathy, thereby making a stronger point of the complexity of the situation at hand. The plot is relatively simple, but small exchanges between the characters that seem irrelevant bring a great deal of humanity to the film. Kierston Wavering is absolutely magnificent as Angie and every single other "actor" (professional or not) featured is spot on. A moving, honest, brave yet depressing masterpiece!