Review of Kes (1970) by Justin B — 17 Nov 2007

"Bleak" is indeed the word to describe this bitter epic of social realist cinema about the multitude of little ways in which society works to crush the spirit of the common man. Not a fun movie, but an honest one (which is better, I think), rather like Dickens without the cheeky humor or sentimentality or possibility of escape.

I strongly recommend it, even for (actually, ESPECIALLY for) people like me who usually can't stomach realism, since this is one of the best and most human entries in the genre.