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Family Life (1971)

Director: Ken Loach

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From Time Out Film Guide

A fictional documentary (scripted by David Mercer) that charts the influence of family relations on a young girl's deteriorating ability to handle her environment. It presents a highly biased attack against the techniques of drug and electro-convulsive therapy, in favour of a more personal approach that takes into account the complexities of the individual's social context. As propaganda, the film tends to distort and over-simplify the issues, with a method disturbingly similar to that which it is attacking. Family Life continues Loach's examination of class exploitation, and because its purpose and function are clearer than Poor Cow or even Kes, it's arguably a better film, even if remaining limited by its TV-derived visual puritanism. JDuC.

Author: JDuC 0000-00-00 00:00:00

Time Out Film Guide

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  • fadin said...
    Posted on Apr 14 2008 22:28 Does reviewer JduC needs to protect his parents because he does not dare to see the truth of his own childhood?
    Report as inappropriate

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Cast & crew

Director: Ken Loach

Producer: Tony Garnett

Cast: Sandy Ratcliff, Bill Dean, Grace Cave, Malcolm Tierney, Hilary Martyn, Michael Riddall, Alan Macnaughtan full cast

Duration: 108 mins

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