All posts by Connor Lightbody

Ken Loach & Paul Laverty: The Old Oak

“Telling stories of the working class means you can incorporate them as full characters with complexities and humour and struggles and sadness and joy and all the rest of it that make them human and not stereotypes or cliches. One thing you never see is their strength.” At the North-East premiere of THE OLD OAK, writer Paul Laverty sat down to chat about the film, while director Loach spoke over a video call.

Anatomy of a Fall

A competent, intriguing drama like this gaining award traction feels more symptomatic of it being the kind of good film that is now a rare occurrence within the film zeitgeist, rather than one that feels like it will be remembered after the award cycle.

The Royal Hotel

With THE ROYAL HOTEL, Kitty Green has once again shown that she can strike a perfectly pitched tone, knowing exactly how she wants to escalate tension, whether it be from female powerlessness at the hands of predatory executives or the roaring, blistering diatribe spat from the drunk mouth of an average man.