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Kes (1969)
Ken Loach's second feature film is bleak, symbolic social realism about the despondence and lack of prospects for youngsters in mining-based communities in contemporary Yorkshire. Filmed on location in Barnsley with mostly unprofessional local actors, the movie has that rare combination of artistic naivety and an assured voice – the work of a young, ambitious filmmaker with a clear agenda and artistic talent, but not very much experience. Loach took a chance on the local 15-year-old David Bradley, put his camera on him, and let him carry much of the drama with what turned out to be a telling, subdued performance. And through its dual main theme – a tribute to mother nature and the endless possibilities it gives, but which Billy only gets a small whiff of – the film attains a timeless, lyrical quality.
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