Bread and Roses

Having first watched this film as part of a BA (HONS) Social Work Degree course I found, as did the rest of the tutor group, that it portrays the struggle of working class people in pursuit of equality against a backdrop of corporate bullying and authoritarian control. Though it doesn't match the Hollywood grandour of popular epics (the special effects are sadly lacking and love scenes are non existant) it does provoke thought and is an essential tool for anyone undertaking Groupwork as part of their social work training. It shows a passion for change that is sadly lacking today.

I loved this, it was romantic yet tough, ended well, all the characters suitably flawed yet appealing, it was filmed without the actors knowing the full plot and I think it showed.

I went to see this picture without much information in a small budget theater. Humble also is the movie itself. Certainly one can only like Pilar Padilla in her role as an outspoken working woman that ends up as a Latina Norma Rae. Yet, there is a long distance with Sally Field. The power of the movie is not on the performances (quite credible and engaging); it is in the story itself. "Bread and roses" becomes a demand for social justice with a twist: "Don't give us just bread, we have the right to enjoy the roses too." Life for the exploited immigrants (and any worker) should not be restricted to their permanent demand for job and food. Life requires a little indulgence: the right to enjoy it fully and rightfully.

fine

The film is never less than a satisfying mix of compelling entertainment and social critique. The performances are uniformly superb.

Yeah buoy!

loved it.

I'm a huge Ken Loach fan and would rate most of his films as five star. This one is notable as being his only one taking plae and filmed in the United States. Loach's commitments to justice and solidarity are on full display. This is a beautiful film and perpahs a bit more optimsitic than some others.

Maya, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, arrives to Los Angles in hope of a better life with her sister Rosa who helps her get a job as a janitor at a big company. Happily Maya works as a janitor until she finds out that she and all others at her company are being unjustly treated, which leads her to invite Sam Shapiro (Adrien Brody) who comes to help them unionize against the bullying company. This leads to difficult times for the employees as they are living under the threat of being fired, which would remove their sole source of income. Bread and Roses is a strong political film about socioeconomic injustice and how it affects families and friends, which offers a terrific cinematic experience.

Ken Loach's kitchen-sink drama about the hardships of illegal aliens under the thumb of exploitative employers is driven by excellent performances, particularly the three leads. Pilar Padilla and Elpidia Carillo give bravura portrayals of long-suffering Mexican sisters in L.A.; Maya (Padilla) is feisty and cunning, while her self-sacrificing older sister Rosa (Carillo) has grown resigned to her own and her family's lot in life. As Sam Shapiro, a labor activist who helps Maya and her fellow Hispanic janitors in a high-rise office building to form a union, Adrien Brody's blend of earnestness and mischief really livens up this well-meaning, often moving, occasionally didactic film. Brody's beard and bedhead make him look especially cuddly; no wonder the engaging Padilla eventually drags him into a closet for some hot and heavy nookie! :-) (My husband also remarked that all that hair made Brody's prominent proboscis look, well, less prominent -- not that Brody's noble nose ever bothered me, thank you very much! :-).