Robbie, a young ne’er do well (Paul Brannigan), a broke new father with a good heart is in serious trouble with the law. When he holds his newborn son for the first time, roguish Robbie is determined that the boy will have a better life, one with more opportunities than he has been offered in this insular, blue collar world.
But first Robbie must sort out a variety of pressing problems –his girlfriend’s family wants to do him harm and run him out of town being first and foremost among them. He is given a lucky break by a judge who shows mercy, granting him community service instead of jail. Here he meets Rhino, Albert and Mo, former petty criminals also down on their luck.
During his rehabilitation, as he is mentored by the kind and generous Harry (John Henshaw), Robbie discovers a passion for whiskey — it turns out, he has a rare gift – a refined palate and a delicate nose for fine malt whisky. This newly discovered, prodigious talent may well turn things around for him — but first, he must face a true test of faith on a trip with the gang to the Scottish Highlands, which is where the film shifts into a heist movie, retaining the trademark hardscrabble humor that Loach has become so well-known for embedding into his dissections of the UK’s working class and poor.
The Angels Share (2013)
Directed by: Ken Loach
Starring: Paul Brannigan, John Henshaw, Gary Maitland, Jasmin Riggins, Siobhan Reilly, William Ruane
Screenplay by: Paul Laverty
Production Design by: Fergus Clegg
Cinematography by: Robbie Ryan
Film Editing by: Jonathan Morris
Costume Design by: Carole K. Millar
Art Direction by: Zoe Wight
Music by: George Fenton
MPAA Rating: None.
Studio: IFC Films
Release Date: April 12, 2013
Visits: 68
