Ladybird Ladybird (1994) User Reviews

A Hard Character To Feel Sorry For

[chinaskee · 7/10 · 15 July 2001]

I've seen this film twice now,and although it can be argued that the character of Maggie is as much a victim of the system as her children,it's just really difficult to feel sorry for her.We have here a woman who has 5 children by 5 different fathers,continually makes bad choices in men and continues her cycle of abuse,has one son almost die in a tragic accident that is a direct result of her leaving them alone,and then can't understand why Social Services can't just stay out of her life and let her raise the rest of her children.The performances are top-notch here,but Maggie is more to be pitied for her lack of responsible behavior than anything else.

This 'Ladybird' Needs Wings

[wrightiswright · 6/10 · 3 September 2019]

A very anger-driven film powered by a sense of outrage for it's short-tempered lead, it's attempts at railing against the social service system in the UK are somewhat undercut by the behaviour of the mother at the centre.

She has 4 (later 6) kids from 4 (later 5) different fathers. She constantly returns to one partner who likes to smash her head in, putting her and her offspring in danger. She leaves them at home to sing karaoke while her flat burns down, seriously injuring them. Can you blame the authorities for wanting to take her children away?

Yes, she had a hard past which impacts her decisions in the present. But, at least in my view, this doesn't give her the license to put her kids at risk, even if you do have sympathy for her situation. The fact she lashes out at everyone trying to help her doesn't help matters either, so the blatant attempts by the director and writer to be on her side aren't ever all that effective.

Oh well. The performances are great, with Crissy Rock handing some intensely emotional scenes with aplomb, and Vladimir Vega as her too-nice-by-half Paraguayan boyfriend providing good support. It's based on a true story too, though the only 'happy' ending to be found here is in the final text.

Overall, it's a moving and somewhat absorbing drama in the typical Mike Leigh vein, but one where the protagonist is too flawed to make it truly great. This wouldn't be a problem, but when the movie is always 100% in her corner and expects us to feel the same way, perhaps you can see where the disconnect might cause a problem. 6/10

Intense Drama with even more intense acting

[erwan_ticheler · 8/10 · 1 August 2004]

I have seen several Ken Loach films in the past like BREAD AND ROSES and MY NAME IS JOE and I really think that Loach is one of the most talented directors around.His social films are very intense and miles away from your regular Hollywood or Pinewood movie.

I thought that MY NAME IS JOE was an intense drama(and it is very much so)but LADYBIRD LADYBIRD is the absolute powerhouse of drama and despare.The acting performances of Crissy Rock and Vladimir Vega are so intense that it seems to be really happening.Loach uses a lot of unexperienced actors to play in his films and this time around it's no different.Both Rock and Vega make their cinema debut here.The fact that Loach uses these unfamiliar people enhances the reality of his films.

The verbal fights between Rock and the social workers are almost unwatchable as are the fights she has with her former boyfriend. The way that Loach uses flashbacks to tell the story is very well done.

Still there are some points of criticism.I know that the film is based on a true story but some things are not very realistic.For instance why should a political refugee of Paraguay start an affair with a sad and unbalanced woman from Mersy Side.Also the parts with the social workers are slightly overdone,but maybe it's the truth.If it is,then I'm afraid to say that these folks are absolutely cold hearted.

LADYBIRD LADYBIRD is the most intense film I've ever seen.It's very hard to watch but even harder not to. 9/10

Possibly the most powerful & disturbing film ever made

[Rainsford5 · 10/10 · 9 December 2004]

I challenge any parent who has been questioned over the care of the children or any person who has been unjustly accused of neglect as I have have once been, to sit and watch this disturbing powerhouse of a film. I paused it twice during my original sitting and had to take a moment to deal with what I was being confronted with once again. Rarely . . . yes VERY RARELY does a film or a movie engage me to this point. I have seen several Ken Loach films and I live in admiration of this artist/man, but yet I wasn't prepared for what I sat and watched. I give this 10 out of 10 and am shocked that it hasn't been recognised further by any awards society such as "The Bafta" and "Academy Awards".

Chrissy Rock, I take my hat off to you to have the guts to give all that you gave for your performance, the the actor that played "Jorge" . . you have delivered a standout performance. Ken Loach, you are my hero.

Indeed I stand by my title, possibly the most powerful and disturbing film every made. Magnificent. Ambitious. It delivers.

Wow.

[Cobbler · 9/10 · 14 September 2000]

My jaw was on the floor throughout this film. I was amazed at the intensity of Crissy Rock's performance and I was aghast at all of the horrible things that she had to endure. Vladimir Vega's subtle work as Jorge should be given an equal amount of credit. The emotional honesty in this movie is amazing and I had to pause the VCR a couple of times because I was so shaken up. Definitely worth your time, and an excellent introduction to the work of a worthy director.

In search of a mother's dignity.

[dbdumonteil · 9/10 · 4 August 2001]

Kenneth Loach ,among all the great directors in the world,has always been one of the very few who depicts the "riff raff" ,to quote one of his works.In his universe, you will not find the young lawyer ,the yalie,the dynamic executive,the journalist with good prospects or the handsome detective with his gorgeous assistant.All his characters are individuals struggling against the authorities and who cannot win:the little boy from "kes",the young girl from 'family life",the two buddies on the dole from "looks and smiles",and the unfortunate mother from "ladybird ladybird". "Ladybird,ladybird" is a harsh movie,sometimes unbearable,definitely not for all tastes.Crissy Rock is absolutely astounding,she does not play the part,she really lives it,leaving us on the edge of our seat.Her screams,her tears,her anger are so real that,had Loach not said it was a true story,we would believe in it anyway.Loach's treatment is stripped of any embellishment.No need for strings when fate strikes once more the heroine.Her partner,an immigrant,is a good man who loves her sincerely ;he suffers because he feels helpless,and when she beats him,he does not complain:his despair is so deep he contemplates suicide.We are far from the immigrant macho cliché. The heroine must come from a poor social background,so she was never taught the rules of the game,so she is bound to fail.But Loach avoids to show us the people from the social services as "baddies":it's for her own good,they say.They reason by the establishment's rules,but they never try to communicate with the mother,deemed irresponsible,unable to get a place in the community.The end of the movie preserves the viewer from despair though.Every dog has his day,they say.May it be true for this poor couple!

Who Deserves to Have Children and Keep Them?

[lfalour · 20 January 2009]

This is a story about a British woman who struggles to keep her children. Ken Loach's movies are always good and they always deal with sad and gritty subjects. The thing that struck me most about this movie was that although I initially felt sympathy for the main character, Maggie, I quickly lost it. She's so upset she is completely uncooperative with the social services people, who are often judgmental and unlikeable, but who are only trying to do their jobs. When Maggie finds a lover who does not abuse her as her earlier partners did, she refuses to appreciate his steadfastness, his decency and his loyalty to her, and she tries to drive him away. I was surprised to find myself so unsympathetic to Maggie. My frustration with her grew, and I found myself saying, aloud, "God, she's impossible!" Even though I didn't like the character, the movie is so good, I could not tear my eyes away from it. Ken Loach is a genius. I think the hardest works are those with unsympathetic main characters. If you still find yourself fascinated, even though you find yourself detesting the protagonist in a movie, it makes the viewing even more memorable. I sometimes feel sad that I have no children; yet, when I see this story, I feel better about it. I also wonder why I cannot muster much sympathy for Maggie, even though I have things in common with the character. Society is especially unforgiving when dealing with parents. In its well-meaning interest in the welfare of the children, it often fails to reach out to the parents who are sometimes quite good people, but who are struggling to cope. Almost everyone could benefit from seeing this movie. It's highly instructive. It makes you think about the roles we, as adults, play in society, and what our responsibilities are. None of the questions and issues raised by this movie are easy to deal with. There are no easy answers. I think both great objectivity and subjectivity are necessary toward finding solutions, and both are seldom possible at the same time; hence, mistakes are made, all around. The character of the good man she finally finds is beautifully played by an unknown actor. I wondered how he could continue to be so good, and yet I felt myself completely frustrated with him and annoyed with him when he tried to explain his reasons for being a political exile from his country of origin in a court hearing. He was so upset that for once, he couldn't think clearly and couldn't express himself adequately. This showed me that despite his "good" qualities, under extreme pressure, he could be as hard to understand and to help as Maggie is. This movie is based on a true story, which is, sadly, not hard to believe. This same type of situation is played out again and again. What to do? Leave children in questionable households, or take them away? Try to see this movie and to share it with someone who is troubled, who has been abused, and who has had problems dealing with administrations of almost any kind. It's very instructive, even though, as I've said, no answers are given.

Chrissy is amazing

[Boyo-2 · 10/10 · 20 January 1999]

Chrissy Rock is amazing in this movie. It is almost impossible to watch at times because it is so intense. You will feel like you are living through the ordeals the characters experience. I can't think of many actresses who would have been able to deliver such a performance.

Who needs spectacular scenes when the story is enough to teach you humbleness?

[philip_vanderveken · 9/10 · 24 July 2005]

Before watching this movie I already knew that Ken Loach is famous for his socially inspired movies, which sometimes look more like a documentary than like pure cinema. That already prepared me for what I was about to see, as I knew that it wouldn't be a 'life is oh so beautiful and lovely' movie. But that it would be such a moving and touching film, I really didn't know.

"Ladybird Ladybird" tells the story of Maggie Conlan, an unmarried mother of four children from four different men, who she has all left. In a karaoke bar she meets Jorge, a Paraguayan immigrant who is different from all the men she has had in her life so far. He takes his time to listen to her story and that's how we too get to know all that has happened to her. She has had an unhappy childhood, has been beaten and kicked by all the men in her life and social services have taken away her children from her, because they were convinced that she wasn't able to take care of them when one of them almost died in a tragic accident. Together with Jorge, she keeps fighting desperately for the custody over her children, so they can make their family whole again. But these bureaucrats are convinced that Jorge doesn't just love her for no reason. They believe he only uses her to stay in the country and when they get children of their own, they are confiscated as well...

When it comes to the acting I can be quite brief. It's just excellent. This was Crissy Rock's very first role, but she acts like she hasn't done anything else in her entire life. The same for Vladimir Vega. Together they make you forget that you are watching a movie with actors in it. This feels more like a documentary, filmed by a camera crew that just happened to be in the right place at the right time to film one of the most touching and realistic docu-drama's ever.

I don't really think there is a perfect way to describe what this excellent movie does to you. Saying that it shows the darkest side of human kind is perhaps not even strong enough, because it is also a very sober, but incredibly touching movie. And even though some people say that it's sometimes difficult to sympathize with Maggie Conlan, I don't follow them in their opinion. Of course you could say that it's her own fault that she has lost her children, but when you see how she has been treated from her childhood on until adulthood, you can understand why she acts and reacts the way she does. All she has ever known was violence and shouting, so it's no wonder that she does exactly that when feeling threatened.

As a conclusion I would like to add that I'm not easily moved by a movie anymore, but this one certainly did something to me. It's hard to explain why this is so powerful as I believe that the feeling of realism can't be the only reason. I guess you just have to see it for yourself. All I can say is that I liked it a lot and that this is what true cinema should look like. You really don't need any spectacular scenes to make a great movie. A powerful, humbling and touching story like this one is more than enough and that's why I give this film a well deserved 9/10.

Ladybird Ladybird

[d_m_s · 1/10 · 11 May 2016]

Difficult to like this story about a woman who has been in abusive relationships in the past and has her children taken away from her.

I usually love Ken Loach film despite their bleak subject matter, which usually revolves around poverty and injustice in the various systems we are all part of.

However, unlike all other Loach films I've seen, where there are elements of comedy and sadness and hope along with interesting and endearing characters, Ladybird Ladybird was missing all of those redeeming qualities.

The central character, Maggie, was a horrid woman who had no self-control, constantly flies into fits of rage and has a foul vocabulary. She already has 3 kids by 3 different fathers (I think) by the time the story started. She comes across as the kind of mouthy individual you would rather not sit next to on a bus.

For no apparent reason, Jorge - an illegal alien – picks her up in the local pub and they begin a relationship. Soon he is declaring his love and they are having a child. The relationship did not make sense to me in the film as he is a nice and calm and considerate individual. She is an unattractive, aggressive, difficult woman. I did not understand what attracted him to her at all.

But anyway, she has another kid by yet another father. Due to her history and (falsified) complaints from a neighbour, the child is taken away by social services. So then they have another and this child is taken away also. Unfortunately a sore point for me was that the film did not explain why these two children got taken away. I know she had a history of violent relationships but she was not in one now and Social Services took the two kids away as soon as they were born. I didn't understand if this was purely because of past history (which would be a bit harsh really) or some other reason.

The film ends mid-story and on screen text reveals to us that this was a true story and that they went on to have a further 3 children, which they managed to keep. So she had 10 children in all, 7 of which were taken away by social services.

The film was too depressing and I could not sympathise with the characters at all.

I'm a bit conflicted with this one..

[Alba_Of_Smeg · 19 September 2020]

Crissy Rock gives it her all in this. She plays Maggie. A single mother with 4 kids to 4 different blokes, each of them taken away by social services. She has clear behavioural problems and lives a life of poor choices and bad decisions on repeat. A woman that "smells trouble and goes to bed with it", as her neighbour describes her.

Im conflicted because the film encourages us to be more sympathetic towards the protagonist and her plight but I have no sympathy whatsoever for Maggie, and while I detest the social workers they were 100% necessary here. Maggie is an unfit mother incapable of supporting her litter, let alone herself. She is just as volatile as the men in her life, and her choice of nasty and abusive men that she chooses to subject her own children to was my main reason for thinking her a terrible mother. Clearly her own worst enemy yet the blame always lies on someone or something else and it always will because of that "poor me" mentality.

Another thing that annoyed me and it's something you see all the time sadly. Maggie tells the social worker to stop giving her child condiments with their meals because she can't afford to buy them. Fair enough right? Then you see her lighting a fag, then another, and another. If you can't afford table sauce for your children but you have money to smoke you need to recheck your goddamn priorities.

We've all seen and met people like Maggie. I've lived next to a Maggie or two in my time. The type of person that can't support or even handle the kids they have already yet they keep having them and getting them taken away. Zero aspirations in life other than getting pregnant and living off of benefits. The kind of neighbours that scream constantly and have police at their door routinely but never seem to learn or want to help themselves.

A good Ken Loach flick but far from his best. Still worth a watch but before the film starts you might want to take an aspirin for that inevitable headache.

Excellent movie, as heart wrenching as thought provoking

[cat-that-goes-by-himself · 10/10 · 13 February 2009]

Even though the scenario does simplify the mishaps of child protection system, even though I like to think the (French) child protection system in which I work strives to avoid such tragedies, I cannot help but feel a deep unease, and even a pang of guilt each time I watch this gem of a movie.

The strength of this movie is, in my opinion, to explore the limits of social welfare in such a deep and balanced way.

Yes, some families generate toxic environment for children, regardless of the individual qualities of their members. Yes, when in doubt, social workers do sometimes choose to suggest foster care to the court as the lesser of two potential evils (even though alternative solutions do exist in France, and no doubt in the UK too). Yes, motherly love is not enough in itself to insure child wellbeing. Yes, misunderstanding and fear of social workers can lead to disastrous results. Yes, social workers and courts wield the power to shatter families and lives and do make mistakes, out of lack of empathy, excessive workload, burn-out or plain incompetence.

All this and more is shown and put to the test in this movie, and no definite answers are given. That is the mark of an outstanding writer and director. Besides, I can only join in the general praise for the superb performance of the two main actors and Loach's artful camera-work.

Certainly the example shown here is extreme, but it echoes the very real pain I face in my daily work as a witness to family disorders and participant in inevitable (but hopefully only occasional) social services catastrophic blunders.

My thanks go to Ken Loach for this hearth wrenching and thought provoking movie. A movie every social worker should care to think of from time to time. I see Ladybird, Ladybird as a kind of personal safeguard. To resist the temptation to call it a day and send a quick and dirty court report to the judges. To take the time to think twice before adding this sweeping little comment that could cast a child away. And for that I am deeply grateful to you, Mister Loach.

Brilliant and disturbing performance by Crissy Rock.

[dewey22 · 10/10 · 29 August 1999]

This is not a movie to entertain! It is a movie one should watch if they want to see a brilliant performance by an actor performing one of the most difficult performances to be seen on screen. Crissy Rock portrays a welfare mother who loves her children but cannot keep them primarily because she can't shut up when confronted by the welfare system. If ever someone deserved an Acadmy Award, this performance deserved it.

A depressing working class docudrama

[Angeneer · 8/10 · 30 April 2001]

This is a realistic situation. While Ken Loach partially takes Maggie's side, the film presents almost all aspects of such occurrences. Should an incompetent mother be allowed to have their children just because she loves them? A difficult question to pose. So, it's a courageous film, but a film is judged mainly on how and not on what and the obvious examples are some American fluff about similar subjects. Without using impressive camera and directing tricks, Loach manages to make us sympathize the main characters and get into the core of the problem. Impressive through its simplicity and a very good social study.

Quite unlike anything Loach has made before or since, largely due to Munro's screenplay

[dr_clarke_2 · 9/10 · 12 December 2022]

At first glance, Ken Loach's 1994 film Ladybird, Ladybird looks like what people assume is his typical fare: a depressing story of working class misery as a woman tries to keep access to her children, despite social services denouncing her as an unfit mother. Ordinary people ground down by a faceless, heartless establishment was a well-established theme in Loach's work by 1994, but in most respects Ladybird, Ladybird is quite unlike anything he has made before or since, a fact that can be attributed to his one-off collaboration with Scottish playwright Mona Munro.

Loach's detractors have argued - not entirely unfairly - that the characters in his films lack diversity, with the majority of his protagonists being white, working-class men. This is largely due to his the screenwriters he regularly collaborates with, primarily Barry Hines, Jim Allen and (to a lesser extent) Paul Laverty, all men from white, working class backgrounds whose scripts are often informed by their own experiences. By contrast, Munro's script for Ladybird, Ladybird features a female protagonist with a mixed-race son, and a non-white male secondary protagonist. But that isn't the only way in which the film feels notably different to most of Loach's other work, which often has a one-sided message. Here, Maggie Conlan's children are repeatedly taken away from her by social services, but social services aren't demonised: whilst the film's individual social workers aren't especially memorably, collectively they are portrayed as people trying to do a difficult job and willing to work with Maggie.

And that is what is really striking about Ladybird, Ladybird. Initially, Munro invites the audience to sympathise with Maggie, a woman who grew up with an abusive father who subsequently had a string of abusive lovers. But as Maggie's refusal to cooperate after Sean nearly dies is followed by a repeated habit of making unwise decisions, such sympathy is severely strained: when Maggue us openly hostile to a health visitor, one can't help but wondering just what is going through her mind. Ultimately, when a judge describes Maggie as "A woman of low intellect and little self-control", it's hard not to agree with him. At the same time, Munro doesn't entirely abandon her main character: her developing relationship with the caring Jorge offers a ray of hope that ultimately provides her with something vaguely resembling a happy ending. In fact, the script's only real fault is that unpleasant neighbour Mrs Higgs catalyses the loss of Maggie and Jorge's first two children by lying in court; given that the loss of her previous children is largely due to Maggie's refusal to work with social services, this feels like an unnecessary contrivance that significantly muddies the story's waters.

Being presented with such a script and characters brings out the best in Loach's direction. In another first for him, the film has a partly non-linear narrative (flashbacks show Maggie's father physically abusing her mother, and how Sean ended up in care), which he handles with great confidence. At the same time, his usual habit of filming entirely on location - coupled once again with Barry Ackroyd's grainy cinematography - provides the sort of realistic look that he favours. The scene of Simon assaulting Maggie is skilfully shot: we never actually see a blow land, but the moment is harrowing in its intensity.

Stand-up comedian and occasionally actress Crissy Rock is astonishingly convincing as Maggie Conlan, giving an utterly believable, powerful, emotionally charged performance. Amongst the many notable examples is her reaction when the police and a social worker enter the flat and take her baby. Vladimir Vega is equally convincing as Jorge, as is Ray Winstone in the relatively small role of Maggie's alcoholic, violent ex-boyfriend Simon. The rest of the cast, as per usual for Loach, consists of relative unknowns which, not for the first time, results in at least one actor stumbling over his lines and actually makes his performance that little but more realistic.

Ladybird, Ladybird is, to date, the only feature film with a wholly original screenplay written by Munro (although she later adapted a novel for the screen for Loach's son Jim), who is best known for her many stage plays and occasional television scripts, particular the two she has written for Doctor Who. It is an impressive piece of work and not just for her: this may not be typical Loach, but by forcing him to expand his scope beyond his usual preoccupations, it serves as a reminder of how talented a director he actually is.

Ladybird Ladybird - Probably The Most Powerful & Psychologically Disturbing Film Ever Made.

[SirNevilleCawasCyrusBardoliwalla · 10/10 · 27 January 2020]

Based on a true story this Ken Loach docu-drama relates the story of a British woman's fight with Social Services over the care of her children. Maggie has a history of bouncing from one abusive relationship to another. She has four children, from four different fathers, who came to the attention of Social Services when they were injured in a fire. Subsequently, Maggie was found to be an "Unfit Mother" and her Children were removed from her care. She finally meets the man of her dreams, a Paraguayan expatriate, and they start a family together. Unfortunately, Social Services seems unwilling to accept that her life has changed and decide to take away their new-born baby. She and Jorge both together, and separately set about fighting Social Services, Immigration, and other Government Bureaucrats in a desperate battle to reunite their Family again. Chrissy Rock gave an unforgettable performance in this little seen film. I was amazed at the intensity of Crissy Rock's performance and horrified at all the things she had to endure. Vladimir Vega's subtle work as Jorge should be given an equal amount of credit. The emotional honesty in this movie is amazing and I had to pause the VCR a few times because I was emotionally drained. This Movie in my opinion is well written by Rona Munro and Superbly Directed by Ken Loach. It's a Powerful, Humbling and touching Story, and that's why I give this Film a well deserved 10/10.

Review Courtesy of Sir Neville Cawas Cyrus Bardoliwalla OBE, CBE

Great Film for Those Who Enjoy Screaming

[atomicis · 4/10 · 25 March 2021]

I guess the other reviewers gauge the lead actress's ability on how well her voicebox can withstand extended screeching, smoking and shouting. I watched this because Trainspotting is one of my favorites, but this movie has none of the bright spots that made that film so wonderful. This is one depressing scenario after another. Excuse me, I have to go kill myself now. ;^)

an incredible performance!

[adomono · 27 November 1998]

Chrissy Rock gave an unforgettable performance in this little seen film. i highly recommend anyone to go out and rent it. another great but "little seen" film is "Once Were Warriors". my advice is if you go to the video store to rent a couple movies, and are interested in how movies should be made,search for these 2 titles,and you'll see your trip to the video store was well worth it!

Powerful Loach

[michael-kerrigan-526-124974 · 8/10 · 6 January 2019]

Wow. Very powerful film based on a true story about how the social services and the courts can, on occasion, get it all so wrong. Chrissy Rock is brilliantly believable as a mother of four kids who have been taken into care; a result of an abusive relationship with the ever so slightly typecast Ray Winstone. She meets gentle Gorge, a Paraguayan migrant, and they embark on a new abusiveless life together. However, Maggie's past soon comes back to haunt them. Social realism is by far my favourite film genre, and this is one of the best. Ken Loach, you're a (inter)national treasure. 8 out of ten.

A Knockout is right ! Wow

[philipc-52613 · 10/10 · 7 July 2020]

Fantastic movie , great characters one of the best films I have ever seen .

A Knockout!

[jbjonadams · 7 November 2003]

This film defies description and cannot be put into a category. It's one-of-a-kind in every positive sense ot the label. Performances are all sensational, with a breakout debut by the female lead. When I learned this was based on a true story, I was even more astounded by this remarkable gem of a film.

SEE IT! You won't forget it; you definitely won't regret it. I guarantee!

Crissy Rock Is Superb

[drednm · 2 January 2022]

This is a devastating film based on true events. Maggie is a young woman from Liverpool now living in London. She's on the bottom wrung of society, a welfare mother of four kids (all with different fathers) and hanging on despite a series of violent partners and jaw-dropping poverty. When a fire breaks out in her building and it's discovered she had gone out to a karaoke bar and locked the door (to keep the building brats out of her flat), Social Services marches in and so starts a long and endless battle with the ever-vigilant parade of social workers.

All four kids are taken away from her. She eventually meets a guy and she tries to start over. He's a political refugee in England from Paraguay and (of course) his visa has run out. He's illegally working but he and Maggie have a fairly even life together. She has a baby but in marches the do-gooders. They have another baby and in they march again. It's a life of torture with the social welfare system on their backs and there's no escape. The "safety net" is actually a strait-jacket.

Crissy Rock stars as Maggie and she's spectacular. She's probably best known as the manageress on the comedy TV series BENIDORM. She got a lot of minor awards attention for this film and she certainly deserved it.

Heart wrenching drama

[Rocky-UK · 18 January 2006]

Ladybird, Ladybird is one of Ken Loach's most dramatic working class drama's. The use of melodrama to put across political points about the oppression of middle-class systems on the working-classes is subtly brilliant.

After watching the film I was very depressed for quite a while.

Although I was obviously traumatised by social services taking not just one but two of Maggie and Jorge's children shortly and immediately after birth, I couldn't decide if it was somehow her own fault. If you leave your four children alone in a hostel and one of them nearly dies in a fire can you really expect to be deemed capable of providing a 'safe' environment for children? Her rage about this judgement of self it seems is immense. She cannot as Jorge suggests 'talk nicely' to anyone. The frustration of her being trapped by her circumstance of class is evident.

That said, I think it was very harsh of social services to condemn the women to be without children for the rest of her life, people can change and with Jorge it seems that she does find a more stable centre but the pain of the loss will never fade.

I hope that the real Maggie and Jorge find peace and are one day reunited with their 'lost' children. The fact that this film has been based on real life makes it even more heartbreaking.

Not the cheeriest of films but one that you should watch at some point in your lifetime and form your own views. It's very thought provoking which is what Loach intends his films to be.