Described as the quintessential film to portray the working-class of Northern England, Ken Loach's Kes tells the harrowing story of Billy Casper, a socially awkward teenager, who lives in the dingy mining town of Yorkshire. Featuring a father that is completely out of the picture, a mother who is rarely around, and an abusive older brother who seems to take out his frustrations on his younger brother, Billy's life is miserable, as the young boy spends most of his time in a state of seclusion, isolating himself from those who seem to do nothing but bring the young, innocent boy harm. School offers little reprieve for Billy either, as when he isn't being harassed by teachers who show little interest in his well being or future, Billy can surely rely on being targeted by the bullies of the school due to his awkward demeanor. One day, Billy discovers a young kestrel nest, quickly becoming infatuated with the young falcon which calls the nest home. This animal becomes the shinning glimmer of hope in Billy's cruel world, offering Billy a sense of empowerment that in turn enables Billy to become more articulate and outspoken. The environment in which Billy inhabits has little to offer, but through the relationship Billy forms with the kestrel, he gains companionship and for the first time in his life seems to come out of his shell, one that was certainly formed due to the harshness of the reality around him. Featuring an humanistic approach, Ken Loach's Kes is a naturalistic study of life in the poor mining town of Yorkshire where optimism and hope feel like completely foreign concepts. The portrait of Billy painted by this film is one of of loneliness and solitude, a character who seems to be hiding in plane sight, unwilling to express himself or speak up due to the lack of empathy and interest from those who surround him. From Billy's school teachers to his older brother, Kes presents a world in which nearly all the adults of this small town are disenfranchised by the world around them, beaten down by the harsh realities of life. This tough reality has made many of these adults lack any form of compassion or empathy, in turn taking out their own frustrations on young boys such as Billy, stunting their intellectual curiosity and growth. Billy's brother is an abusive character, someone who drinks a lot to drown the pains of his everyday life. He is a character who has gotten a job in the mines, much like his father before him, a fate which in itself has led to his angst-ridden mindset and general hostile demeanor towards his younger brother. The teachers of Billy' school are extremely authoritative in approach, almost as if feel the need to fulfill the role which should typically be carried out by parental figures. These teachers don't care, for the most part, simply being individuals themselves who can't wait for class to end, showing little true empathy for many of their students who they simply view as lost causes in a cold system. Through these detailed characterizations, Ken Loach details how Billy Casper himself has become so socially awkward, a character who has repressed his youthful exuberance due to this environments self-fulfilling cycle of despair. There is no sense of encouragement among those adults which know Billy, as if they all simply assume his fate will be just as painstakingly dull and harsh. The one exception throughout the entire film is Professor Farthing, a man who recognizes Billy's passion for the kestrel, even inviting him to speak to the class about his newfound friend. It's in this sequence where Billy shows some semblance of passion, independence, and drive, throwing away his natural aura of ambivalence as he embraces his passion and love towards the process of training his new friend. Naturalistic in approach, Kes is a film very much grounded in realism, featuring mostly real locations and non-professional actors. The film's central performance by David Bradley as Billy is remarkable, a balanced, understated portrait of a brutalized youth, whose underlying pain is masked by a quiet sensitivity. The Kestrel itself isn't just a desperately needed companion for Billy but also a symbolic representation of his need for self worth, a wild, fierce, and free creature that does not live by societal based restrictions, something which Billy envies greatly, whether he realizes it or not. Ken Loach's Kes is harsh, realistic portrait of the poor, dead-end mining community of Yorkshire, a film with no interest in sentimental-based endings, only biting realism, with the finale of this film feeling inevitable due to the harshness spelled out before it, one that in reality only supports the inevitablely tragic fate of Casper's new best friend.
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June 2023
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