British realist filmmaker Ken Loach takes a scalpel to the "based on a true story" school of filmmaking with this unrelenting tale of domestic strife and a government that unwittingly perpetrates it. Despite the casting of Crissy Rock, a former stand-up comic with no prior acting credits, Ladybird, Ladybird is almost devoid of the casual humor prominent in many of the director's other snapshots of British working-class life. Instead, Rock and Loach create a portrait of a warm but deeply flawed woman whose attempts at love and stability are undermined by a legacy of abuse. The punishments that Rock's Maggie suffers at the hands of Social Service agencies are heart-rending, but not altogether undeserved. The film's grim, grainy, unforced look is in keeping with Loach's content-over-form aesthetic.
Ladybird, Ladybird (1994)
Directed by Ken Loach
Genres - Drama |
Sub-Genres - Family Drama, Social Problem Film |
Release Date - Sep 30, 1994 (USA - Unknown) |
Run Time - 102 min. |
Countries - United Kingdom |
MPAA Rating - R
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