REVIEW: RIFF-RAFF
berardinelli,james
A film review by James Berardinelli
Copyright 1993 James Berardinelli
Date Released: varies
Running Length: 1:36
Rated: NR (Language, mature themes, brief nudity)
Starring: Robert Carlyle, Emer McCourt, Jimmy Coleman, George Moss,
Ricky Tomlinson
Director: Ken Loach
Producer: Sally Hibbin
Screenplay: Bill Jesse
Music: Stewart Copeland
Released by Fine Line Features
English with English Subtitles (see below for explanation)
Stevie (Robert Carlyle) is an ex-con from Scotland struggling to
start anew. In an attempt to change his life, he takes on a
construction job in North London where he meets an assortment of others
who, in one way or another, are just like him. He has no place to
live, and doesn't make enough to rent a flat, so his co-workers happily
appropriate a "squat" (an illegally occupied place to live) for him.
Soon after, he meets Susan (Emer McCourt), an aspiring singer with a
lot of heart but very little talent. RIFF-RAFF moves on from there,
detailing a short period in the lives of Stevie, Susan, and the workers
on the construction site.
Wow. RIFF-RAFF is a strikingly powerful film that combines a
biting sense of humor with an uncompromising, true-to-life look at the
lot of England's working class. While movies like this are often
maudlin and sometimes depressingly difficult to watch, in this case,
director Ken Loach (whose previous efforts include KES and HIDDEN
AGENDA) has guided his production down a narrow trail that perfectly
balances comedy and drama. It's a daring move and the film succeeds
because Loach pulls it off.
Often, watching RIFF-RAFF is like seeing a home video. The
realism is astonishing, and the background on the production makes it
apparent how much trouble was taken to make it so. Writer Bill Jesse
(who died at the age of 48 and to whom the picture is dedicated)
incorporated his own experience from years of construction work, and
Loach casted only actors who had actually worked in construction. Says
Loach, "The realism stems from Bill's writing and the people in the
film. We tried to get everybody who had experience on building sites
because they all had to work--they all had to know how to do the
job." In addition, it's apparent that everyone involved knew how to
act, as well.
RIFF-RAFF contains one of the most unusual romances in recent
memory. It's an earthy relationship, bounded by uncertainty, poverty,
and drugs. Nowhere is the Hollywood mentality of how to handle lovers
in evidence. Like everything else in the movie, their interaction is
handled with an eye and ear towards mimicking real life. Every line of
dialogue between Stevie and Susan rings true.
Speaking of dialogue, RIFF-RAFF is in English, but Fine Line
Features has chosen to subtitle the movie (in English) for American
consumption. Why? The heavy accents of the working class are more
than occasionally difficult to understand. Personally, I found the
subtitles mostly unnecessary, but they will be invaluable to those
unfamiliar with the guttural English used in this picture.
Best of all, RIFF-RAFF is not a downer. In addition to an overall
lighthearted tone, there is enough comedy to keep this movie upbeat.
There is a social message, but it doesn't bog down the film, perhaps
because everything is told from the perspective of members of the lower
class who view their lot pragmatically. No attempt is made to contrast
the circumstances of the workers with those of the more-wealthy (a
theme that has been done many times before), so missing is the seething
sense of indignation and moral outrage that often accompanies films
such as RIFF-RAFF. For example, when one worker loses his job,
instead of making a display of upheaval and anguish, he simply shrugs
his shoulders, says goodbye to his fellows, and walks off, never to be
seen again.
In RIFF-RAFF, Ken Loach has fashioned a world that takes a few
moments for the viewer to become immersed in. But once that
displacement has occurred, the movie takes on a vivid life that will
not be easily dispersed by the rolling of the end credits and the
intrusion of reality. This is not a film of sudden shocks and
emotional turbulence, but it is forceful and exceptionally worthwhile
nonetheless.
Rating: 9.1 out of 10 (A, ***1/2 out of ****)
- James Berardinelli (bla...@cc.bellcore.com)