This was only Ken Loach's second cinema feature but it still ranks as one of his finest and most moving films. Billy, a disaffected young lad living on a soulless Barnsley estate, finds a fledgling kestrel and, for the first time in his life, feels his imagination gripped. With infinite patience--and a book on falconry nicked from a local bookstore--he starts to train the bird. There's no boy-and-his-pet sentimentality here: the relationship between Kes the bird and the puny, taciturn Billy is the kinship, full of wary respect, between two wild creatures, and when... Kes for the first time flies free and returns to Billy's wrist, the sense of exhilaration is overwhelming. Although Loach never rams his message home, it's clear that Billy stands for a whole generation of youngsters whose potential, barring some such chance event, will never be even fractionally realised. Chris Menges' photography brings out all the austere beauty of the Yorkshire locations, and Loach draws believable performances from his largely non-professional cast--especially the 14-year-old David Bradley, stunningly convincing as Billy. And anyone who has ever suffered under a bullying, self-satisfied sports teacher will squirm with recognition at the brilliant cameo from the late Brian Glover. --Philip Kemp [show more]
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Acclaimed drama from director Ken Loach following a young boy from a working-class Northern town who begins training a falcon to find relief from his problems. Billy (David Bradley) appears to have little hope in his life. He is bullied by his brother and neglected by his mother, while his inability to pay attention at school suggests he is destined for a future spent working in the harsh conditions of the local mine. The discovery of a young kestrel falcon is an important event in his life. Caring for and training Kes becomes a positive way for him to express himself and, with the help of his English teacher, Mr Farthing (Colin Welland), Billy even begins reading books on falconry so he can take better care of his pet. However, as the problems at home continue, will Billy be allowed to develop his natural affinity with Kes?
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