It's a Free World... (2007)

User Rating:

7.1/10   

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (writer)

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Angie gets the sack from a recruitment agency for bad behaviour in public. Seizing the chance, she teams up with her flatmate...

Plot Keywords:

Immigrant | Exploitation | Employment Agency

Awards:

3 wins & 4 nominations

Cast

Kierston Wareing	...	Angela AKA Angie or Ange
Juliet Ellis	...	Rose
Leslaw Zurek	...	Karol
Joe Siffleet	...	Jamie
Colin Caughlin	...	Geoff
Maggie Russell	...	Cathy
Raymond Mearns	...	Andy
Davoud Rastagou	...	Mahmoud (as Davoud Rastgou)
Mahin Aminnia	...	Mahin - Mahmoud's Wife
Shadah Kavousian	...	Shadah - Mahmoud and His Wife's Child
Sheera Kavousian	...	Sheera - Mahmoud and His Wife's Child
Frank Gilhooley	...	Derek
David Doyle	...	Tony
Eddie Webber	...	Company Director
Johnny Palmiero	...	Company Director

Also Known As:

En un mundo libre... (Spain)
In questo mondo libero (Italy)
Polak potrzebny od zaraz (Poland)
These Times (UK) (working title)
En fri verden (Denmark) [da]
Enas eleftheros kosmos... (Greece) [el]
Iste özgür dünya (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
It's a Free World... (France) [fr]
Mundo Livre (Brazil) (festival title) [pt]
Un monde sans frontières (Canada: French title) [fr]

Runtime:

Canada:96 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

UK | Italy | Germany | Spain | Poland

Language:

English | Polish

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Canada:14A | UK:15 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | France:U | Netherlands:12 | Sweden:11 | South Korea:18 | South Korea:15 | Australia:M | Finland:K-13

Filming Locations:

East End, London, England, UK

Company:

BIM Distribuzione

Trivia:

The movie Angela and Jamie are watching whilst waiting for the pizza to be delivered is Dog Soldiers (2002).

Quotes:

Karol: You know the old saying? Never return a favour, pass it on.

Movie Connections:

Features Dog Soldiers (2002)

recently unemployed single mother Angie aims to start up her own recruitment agency for stranded legal and illegal immigrants in London

I often feel like giving a film a ten somehow weakens the review and arguments but in my humble opinion this latest work from Ken Loach is absolutely spot on! The element I applaud the most is its nuances and subtlety. Nothing is black and white, the characters are complex and display at times total disregard for humanity and at others touching empathy, thereby making a stronger point of the complexity of the situation at hand. The plot is relatively simple, but small exchanges between the characters that seem irrelevant bring a great deal of humanity to the film. Kierston Wavering is absolutely magnificent as Angie and every single other "actor" (professional or not) featured is spot on. A moving, honest, brave yet depressing masterpiece!