My Name Is Joe, is one of Loach`s finest achievements and was deservedly voted best film at the recent Sydney Film Festival. It`s the story of Joe Kavanagh, Peter Mullan, a reformed alcoholic who can`t forget he once bashed a woman; he`s unemployed, but does various odd jobs around Glasgow and runs a fairly hopeless soccer team - but his life changes when he meets Sarah, Louise Goodall, a social worker. Loach has been mellowing of late, and the surprise of My Name Is Joe is what a beautiful love story it is. Joe may not be the brightest man in the world, but he`s fiercely loyal to his mates and tender with Sarah. Loach himself may be surprisingly tender here, but he`s also full of anger directed at the drug dealers who are making life even more difficult than before for the embattled workers he so much admires - the film almost turns into a thriller as Joe is forced to confront these forces of evil. Astonishing performances are at the centre of this beautifully observed and honest film, and the English sub-titles, which translate the strong Glaswegian dialect, are of considerable help.Margaret`s comments:Ken Loach is famous for his realistic and humanistic approach to filmmaking. Usually he depicts disadvantaged, flawed characters lost in an uncaring and often antagonistic society. In this film his central character finds himself more at the mercy of his own devils than society`s when he finds himself torn between conflicting loyalties, a situation which has implications for his own precarious personality. Joe is wonderfully created by Peter Mullan, his performance makes the tragedy of his character impact on us, the audience, dreadfully. He`s well deserving of his best actor award in Cannes. Loach as always directs without sentimentality but with a rigorousness that creates an inescapable reality.
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