With only one week between movies, the Vernon Film Society will be offering patrons of the Towne Cinema an opportunity to enjoy The Angels’ Share Monday at the usual times of 5:15 p.m. and 7:45 p.m.
This comedy/drama won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Prize in 2012 and has been very highly rated by critics.
Directed by Ken Loach, now 76, and well known for movies such as Kes and Land and Freedom, the movie uses many non-professional actors including the lead, Paul Brannigan, who plays Robbie.
This young man is in court on a charge of grievous bodily harm and only saved from custodial care because his girlfriend is eight months pregnant. Luckily, he, along with other miscreants who are charged with minor offences, come under the supervision of Harry (John Henshaw, a familiar face from many TV dramas) to do community service, doing such things as cleaning cemeteries and painting community centres.
Robbie is determined to go straight and be a good father, and when his child is born, Harry wets the baby’s head with some good Scotch. In doing so, he discovers Robbie has what is known as a “natural nose” for the hard stuff. The group are taken on a tour of a distillery, then to a whisky tasting in Edinburgh, which offers the viewers a delightful history of Scotch, its production and consumer appreciation.
The discovery that Robbie has this natural talent, or “nose,” leads to his discovery of a vocation, his return to crime and his ultimate redemption. It all involves a consignment of rare Scotch, and an attempted heist (with references to the old movie Whisky Galore). With a warmth missing from some other heist movies, the viewers care for this group of unemployed youth who are trying to change their lives in a different way.
As one critic notes: “There is politics underlying every aspect of this funny, warm-hearted, deftly plotted film, and we fervently wish for the caper planned by this endearing quartet to succeed.”
The film’s title, The Angels’ Share, is apparently the term used to refer to the two per cent of whisky that evaporates in the cask each year. For those concerned they may not understand the strong Glaswegian accent, there are some subtitles.
Tickets are $7, available one week ahead at the Towne Cinema and the Bean Scene.
