Ken Loach's Film SORRY WE MISSED YOU - You'll be Sorry if You Miss This

Dir. Ken Loach (b UK 1936) adds another insightful film to his illustrious career of making visceral and emotionally arduous films.  "Sorry We Missed You" takes up Loach's social commentaries on the struggles & oppressiveness the hard working, lower class have to contend with on an ongoing basis.  Loach is one of a handful of directors who've received the Palm d'Or Award twice.  "Sorry We Missed You" is sure to bring further laurels for Loach's unflinching look at the realities & hardships face by the vast majority of people.  The Turners are a married couple, striving to make ends meet while holding them marriage and family intact.  Ricky (Kris Hitchen) is the father working exhausting, long hours delivering packages on a rigid timeline.  Ricky's wife Abby (Debbie Honeywood in an astounding debut performance) works as a home aid to the elderly & bedridden dependent on others for their basic care.  The couple's son, Sen, is in high school; about to be expelled for truancy & violent behavior.  The younger iridescent, pre-adolescent daughter is on the precipice of despair wanting her family to stay together amidst tumultuous event exacting their toll on everyone's sanity and well-being.  Ricky is determined to save for a down payment on a mortgage for their own home.  He's willing to toil long hours and submit to mental cruelty from his overbearing boss (a not always believable Ross Brewster).  Ricky is misguided into believing to be his own boss.  Ricky can never get out from under debt and falls further into debt while his son falls into trouble with the law.  One of the best scenes in the film (and there are many) is at the police station when an officer is speaking to Seb while his father is present telling Seb he's being given a 2nd chance by not being charged for shoplifting although another incident will land him in serious trouble.  The officer tells him he should be grateful to have what many people don't have, a family who cares for him which means everything.  Another scorching scene is Ricky groveling to gain a few days off from work without financial repercussions.  The pressures and problems become too overbearing and the family unit is frayed.  Abby's patience & kindly manner have their breaking point.  Ricky's troubles with work & truant son push him over the edge.  This is a family drama that along with its tender moments shoulders burdens and grief that feel insurmountable.  The painstaking vie for providing for one's family and maintaining dignity are handled with care & credibility.  This is honest, impactful filmmaking at its finest with the understanding of prevalent social issues seemingly never ending.