My Name is Joe - review

For many years, British movie director Ken Loach has been making low-budget movies about poor people and the messes they find or get themselves into. Mike Leigh, of unexpected Oscar fame, cites Loach as one of his mentors. Loach's films have a deliberate rough edge to them and often involve untrained actors. This story, set in Glasgow, is of addiction and temptation. It shows how easy it is to fall into drug abuse, alcoholism and crime if you are in an environment that makes it simple and necessary. As in most of Loach's movies, the main character is a likable guy with a lot of heart. In this case, Joe, as you might have guessed, who has been on the wagon for almost a year now, falls in love with a nurse and seems to be heading in the right direction. But the people around him and their problems seep in. The realism, both in images and acting, make Joe's breakdown all the more convincing. There is no sentimentality here, just the tragedy of someone's life going to pieces. There are some unanswered questions at the end of the film, but as a whole, I found it good.