LADYBIRD, LADYBIRD
UK, 1994, 107 minutes, Colour.
Crissy Rock, Vladimir Vega, Ray Winstone.
Directed by Ken Loach.
Ladybird, Ladybird is one of Ken Loach’s emotional films. From his early days in the mid-60s in television onwards he was interested in social concerns, the family, the role of women in the family – Cathy Come Home, Kes, Family Life. By the 90s he had a resurgence of popularity which was to continue. He made such interesting films as Riff-Raff? and Raining Stones – once again about family. After this he made Ladybird, Ladybird.
After Ladybird, Ladybird he went on to more social-minded films, even going outside the United Kingdom with Land and Freedom about the Spanish civil war, Carla’s Song and Bread and Roses.
This film won Best Actress at the Berlin Film Festival for Crissy Rock. It is an extraordinarily powerful experience, a portrait of a woman who is described as less than intelligent and emotionally unstable. She has a desperate love for her four children – from different fathers. However, Social Services judge that she is incapable of looking after them well and take her from them. This results in even more desperation, anger, pain and abuse.
Vladimir Vegas is very good as the sympathetic refugee from Paraguay. Ray Winstone has one of his typical roles as a brutal father.
The setting is London, the focus is on the possibilities for family, the nature of love, the difficulties of responsibility in a person who is unable to cope.
1.Ken Loach, his social concerns, hard-hitting, critique of society?
2.An emotional Ken Loach film, characters, performance, situations? The audience responding emotionally, especially to Maggie, and finding that their decisions of head are different from the decisions of heart?
3.The title, the nursery rhyme, the house burnt, the children gone? What is the ladybird to do but fly away home?
4.The London settings, poorer areas, flats and estates, clubs, shelters? The range of songs, especially the karaoke performances? The musical score – and the suggestion of South America with the wind instruments focusing on Jorge?
5.The focus on Maggie, the insertion of the flashbacks, of her childhood, of her children, of her treatment?
6.The introduction to Maggie in the club, the people, the noise, the surroundings? The singers, her singing ‘The Rose’, plaintive? Jorge and his approach, his comments on her sadness, pain? Maggie and her friends, the drink with Jorge, beginning of talking and listening, leaving her purse, his crossing in front of the bus and her getting off, returning to his home, her memories and the flashbacks, the talk, her weeping? Her wanting to go, unable to get out the door, staying? The relationship?
7.The flashbacks to her childhood, the lyrical scenes, the memories of abuse, the battering of her mother? Her comments later about the abuse to herself and the influence on her life, Social Services not helping her then?
8.Sean, Mickey – and their black fathers absent? Serena and her white father absent? Their age, experiences, their love for their mother, Sean and his support of her, at home with her, shopping?
9.Simon, presenting well, his turning on her, waiting two hours, his incessant brutality? The birth of Mary? Continuing to batter Maggie, escaping to the shelter? The women and their friendship and taking her in? Her singing, locking the children in, the fire, her rushing to the hospital? Sean and his burns? His being taken away, the visit to the foster mother and Maggie’s antagonism, not wanting to drink coffee, paranoid about people playing games on her? Her hurting Sean? Her relationship with the other children, on the run with Simon, his ousting her from the mini-bus, taking the children and her never seeing them again? Her putting their photos on the wall?
10.Social Services, the shelter, wanting custody, the visits and interviews? The seriousness of the issues, the attitude of the personnel? The brutality of taking the children, the baby, the police? The court scenes, the interrogations, Maggie and her angers, Jorge trying to control her? the cross-examinations, the attitude of the judge?
11.Maggie in herself, lack of education, her promising to look after her children, loving them, her inability to do so? Her promiscuity, relationships? Need for love, repeating the patterns of abusive relationships? Her talk, anger, swearing? Her expectations? Her feeling abandoned by men?
12.Jorge and his back-story, his explanation in the court about the concern for the boy looking for his mother after she was drowned by the police? His approaching Maggie, his needs, listening to her, tenderness? His own wife and the loss of contact? Politics? Standing by Maggie, loving her? Setting up the home, the happy moments together, the jokes about the nosy neighbour? Hosing her? His going to court with her, visiting the refuge? The birth of the baby, its being taken away? His grief? Putting up with her anger? Getting the job, being away for the birth?
13.The graphic presentation of the births, the baby taken away from her in the hospital, her anger, feeling suicidal? Jorge, the summons, his getting his passport back?
14.The neighbour, unpleasant, the kids with her dog, her attack on Jorge, shouting abuse, racial? The hosing? The husband? Her testimony in court and her lies?
15.Maggie pregnant, with her friends, the scene of the birth, the authorities coming to the hospital, taking the baby, Maggie wanting to leap from the window, Jorge holding her – and her being unable to forgive him?
16.Jorge’s comment on her pain, the anger as an expression of pain?
17.The film portraying feelings of love, tenderness?
18.The final scenes with Maggie and Jorge, weeping, holding hands? The final captions about their children, family, and no contact with the previous children? Would Maggie succeed because of Jorge and his love?
19.Social Services, their doing the right thing, their manner, the law, the protection of children? Love, opportunities, limits of personalities? Justice?
