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

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 | Apostrophe In Title | Punctuation In Title | 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
Faruk Pruti	...	Angry Worker Emir
Jackie Robinson-Brown	...	Headmistress (as Jackie Robinson Brown)
Miro Somers	...	Attacker
Neal Barry	...	Youth Offending Care Team
Mick Connolly	...	Youth Offending Care Team
Malgorzata Zawadzka	...	Polish Translator
Marina Chykalovets	...	Ukranian Translator
Chisana Gayves	...	Ukranian Translator
Ludmilla Berysh
Faton Gerbeshi
Kevin Hussey
Steve Lorrigan	...	Police Sergeant
Nadine Marshall	...	Diane
Angela McGowan
Aleksander Mikic
Ezequiel Lima Sandos
Serge Soric	...	Toni
Branko Tomovic	...	Milan
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Radoslaw Kaim	...	Jan (uncredited)

Directed by
Ken Loach

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Paul Laverty		writer

Produced by
Rafal Buks	....	co-producer
Tim Cole	....	line producer
Ulrich Felsberg	....	executive producer
Ken Loach	....	producer
Rebecca O'Brien	....	producer
Piotr Reisch	....	co-producer

Original Music by
George Fenton

Cinematography by
Nigel Willoughby

Film Editing by
Jonathan Morris

Casting by
Kahleen Crawford

Production Design by
Fergus Clegg

Art Direction by
Peter James

Costume Design by
Carole K. Millar

Makeup Department
Tara McDonald	....	hair designer
Tara McDonald	....	makeup designer

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Nick Heckstall-Smith	....	co-first assistant director
Michael Queen	....	second assistant director
Michal Wuczynski	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Mat Bergel	....	stand-by props
Ben Johnson	....	property master
Amanda Leggatt	....	assistant art director
Danny Sumsion	....	construction manager
Donna Turner	....	painter
Rod Whiting	....	dressing props
Linda Wilson	....	prop buyer

Sound Department
Julie Ankerson	....	foley artist
Alex Ashcroft	....	sound assistant
Ray Beckett	....	sound mixer
Ben Brazier	....	foley mixer
Kevin Brazier	....	sound editor
Robert Brazier	....	sound effects editor
Andy Hagon	....	sound re-recording mixer
Peter Murphy	....	boom operator (as Pete Murpjy)
Ian Tapp	....	sound re-recording mixer

Stunts
Abbi Collins	....	motorbike rider double
Steve Griffin	....	stunt coordinator
Paul Heasman	....	stunt coordinator
Julie Maynard	....	motorbike rider double

Camera and Electrical Department
Ben Chads	....	focus puller
Kevin Day	....	gaffer
Statten Roeg	....	camera trainee
Monika Skrzypczak	....	still photographer

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Louise Egan	....	costume supervisor

Editorial Department
Paul Clegg	....	second assistant editor
Fergus Hally	....	colourist
Mark Wright	....	negative cutter

Music Department
Simon Chamberlain	....	music associate
Isobel Griffiths	....	orchestra contractor
Bruce White	....	musician: viola

Transportation Department
David Hammett	....	action vehicle coordinator (as Dave Hammett)

Other crew
Maria Czech	....	location manager: Eastern Europe
Eimhear McMahon	....	production assistant
Greg Mcmanus	....	production coordinator
Habib Rahman	....	assistant production accountant
Habib Rahman	....	post-production accountant
Tina Shadick	....	production accountant
Heather Starr	....	script supervisor
Laura Windebank	....	floor runner
Emma Woodcock	....	location manager
Isabelle Duvoisin	....	press attache: France (uncredited)
Jérôme Jouneaux	....	press attache: France (uncredited)
Matthieu Rey	....	press attache: France (uncredited)

Production Companies

• BIM Distribuzione
• EMC Produktion
• Film Coop
• Film4
• Filmstiftung Nordrhein-Westfalen
• Pathé Distribution
• Polish Film Institute
• SPI International
• Sixteen Films
• Tornasol Films

Distributors

• A-Film Distribution (2008) (Netherlands) (theatrical)
• Channel Four Films (2007) (UK) (theatrical)
• Cinequanon (2008) (Japan) (theatrical)
• Diaphana Films (2008) (France) (theatrical)
• Filmoptimistene (2008) (Norway) (theatrical)
• IFC Films (2008) (USA) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2008) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2008) (Iceland) (theatrical)
• NonStop Entertainment (2008) (Sweden) (theatrical)
• A-Film Home Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• Bir Film (2008) (Turkey) (all media) (limited)
• FilmFour (2007) (UK) (all media)
• Kino Bez Granits (2008) (Russia) (all media)
• Sandrew Metronome Distribution (2009) (Finland) (DVD)

Other Companies

• Cinemage  titles
• Cutting Edge  negative cutting
• Fujifilm  film stock
• Sapex Scripts  post-production services

Also Known As:

En un mundo libre... (Spain)
In questo mondo libero (Italy)
It's a Free World (Germany)
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 Vaud) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | 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)

Let (s)he who is not guilty cast the first stone...

First of all, I think this film quite rightly got the plug it deserved on all of the Broadsheets in the UK. This might be partly due to the involvement of Ken Loach himself but also because it is a rather poignant essay of the one crucial aspect of globalisation – the richer countries exploiting the availability of the cheap labour available from the poorer countries.

This is not the first of its kind to be done, but this film had sympathy, warmth, objectivity and class and a viable plot. The whole film, however, is carried by Kierston Wareing, with no real development of other characters such as her business partner or even her dad, who both could have highlighted the different shades of the argument and perhaps externalised some of the conflicts that we all face when we encounter the by-products of such exploitation. By this, I mean the cheap strawberries in the supermarkets, casual builders, the "baristas" working behind the various Coffee chains and basically all of the other unsung victims who go to subsidising every aspect of our material life.

The basic kernel of the film does succeed to some extent in showing the different facets of the human character such as sympathy for the individual versus the indifference to the abstracted group; highlighting the similarities in the trials and tribulations of people in both the 'host' and the 'donor' countries; the fact that a lot of people are up for making a quick buck off the suffering of others; and that people exist who will try and be fair to others regardless of their backgrounds.

However, the reality might not be so clear cut and easily digestible. Perhaps not all of the immigrant workers are so docile and placid; perhaps not all immigrant workers are so subservient and accepting when the roles are reversed and the female becomes the sexual predator; perhaps not all immigrant workers insist on "passing on the favour instead of returning it".

While it is a noble effort and some effort has been made to highlight the plight of such immigrants, it is still just a snapshot of a much more knotty problem – a problem that we are all, to some extent, responsible for.

That said, "Bravo" to the fantastic Mr. Loach for agreeing to get his "hands dirty" with such a current and contentious subject.