When I think back to my childhood, this is one of the few films that I ever saw that induced some sort of emotional reaction. It was it's last five minutes that achieved that, but building up to this denouement we watch the antics of the amiable working class lad "Billy" (David Bradley). He lives with his mum (Lynne Perrie) and his older, bullying, brother "Jud" (Freddie Fletcher) on a bit of a shoestring and is largely a loner at school. Then one afternoon he espies a young kestrel nesting in a farmer's tree. He convinces the man to allow him to try and rear the bird and so with the help of a second hand book, some meat scraps and some enthusiasm from his supportive teacher "Mr. Farthing" (Colin Welland) we watch the boy finally discover a purpose for his life. Indeed, it might also be the first time he has ever experienced love in his life. He doesn't have a pet, though. Each time he takes his bird for a flight, he fully expects it to take off into the skies and never return - but it doesn't. It returns to his arm when called and this only serves to further cement a relationship that is rapidly becoming all-consuming for "Billy". Bradley is excellent here, no other word for it. His characterisation is mischievous, cheeky and vulnerable and as his association with his kestrel grows we are delivered of an engagingly convincing performance that stands out strongly. There is also a strong sense of community imbued here by Ken Loach and by writer Barry Hines of life in a northern English town where the mines are still the main employer; the boozer the main source of recreation; where family lives were anything but conformist and where education was as much to do with a cane as it was a book. In many ways this pitches concepts of nature and nurture successfully and it isn't afraid to create humour from the scenarios it portrays via some intimate photography and some honest dialogue. This is one of my favourite British films and is well worth a watch.
