"A movie isn't a political movement, a party or even an article. It's just a film. At best it can add its voice to public outrage."
Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is an English filmmaker who has made a string of social-realist masterpieces. A staunch political socialist, he is an ardent critic of the capitalist system, interested in the plight of the poor and oppressed.
Loach first became acclaimed in the late 1960s, with his early masterpiece Kes. He followed it in the early '70s with the cruel Kitchen Sink Drama Family Life. Loach has continued going on strong in the ensuing decades with a string of positively-received films.
He is a two-time winner of the Palme d'Or, earning both prizes since the Turn of the Millennium.
Ken Loach films with TV Tropes pages:
- Kes
- Hidden Agenda
- The Wind That Shakes the Barley
- The Angels' Share
- I, Daniel Blake
- Sorry We Missed You
Tropes associated with Ken Loach's works:
- Amateur Cast: Loach is known for only or mostly working with actors who are unknowns. He makes films about socially conscious issues and always from the viewpoint of the underdogs in society and feels that Hollywood stars can never portray such parts convincingly. Thus he casts real people in roles that are close to their own background. That way they can give performances based on experience.
- Central Theme: Loach's films always focus on social issues.
- Downer Ending: Several of his films don't exactly end on a happy note.
- Government Conspiracy: Strongly implied with the ridiculously complicated and bureaucratic British social welfare system in I, Daniel Blake, which makes itself needlessly complex to discourage people from seeking benefits.
- Grey-and-Gray Morality: Despite the harsh subjects to talk about in his films, nobody in them is perfect or horrible.
- Kitchen Sink Drama: Family Life belongs to the genre.
- Sliding Scale of Idealism vs. Cynicism: His films are usually about dark socialist subject matters. However on the other hand, some of his films are surprisingly hopeful, heartfelt, or sentimental. Even one of his bleakest films, I, Daniel Blake, focuses heavily on The Power of Friendship.
