Search The Archive

Search the film archive

"Rousing, quietly angry and slyly romantic … a tragicomic period tale that highlights the absurdities of state and religious repression." – Time Out London

In his 15th MIFF appearance, and reputed swan song, Ken Loach tells the true story of Jimmy Gralton, one of the few men to be deported without trial from Ireland, cast out for his philosophical war with the Catholic Church over cultural and political ideals. In the 1930s, his County Leitrim community hall was more than a place to dance and debate: it was a symbol of opportunity and opposition in the nation at a time marked by oppression.

Based on a true story, this thematic companion to Palme d'Or winner The Wind that Shakes the Barley (MIFF 2006) is bitingly caustic but still "one of the sunniest, most optimistic films in the Ken Loach canon" (The Independent).

"A heartfelt, eminently enjoyable work by a master craftsman." – Variety