Saw Kes, a sort of sad film about a little boy who lives in a Yorkshire mining town with his single mother and drunken older brother. He is bullied by his brother, bullied by teachers, bullied by other kids. Things change a bit however when he starts training a kestrel.
The film starts off with the brother bullying the main character boy, signaling that this will not be a happy movie. The small town is not a slum, but everyone is visibly struggling and worn out by the struggle. At one point the boy buys some meat to feed the bird and in the background you can hear a screaming match going on. That's just life here. Similarly at school the teachers are indiscriminately cruel, not so much arbiters of justice as terrible ogres to be avoided at all cost.
The kestrel symbolizes the main character's soul: his desire for something more and his bright personality, not yet worn down by his harsh life, but already beginning to be subdued. The bird is what he aspires to be like and, in one scene where he talks to his classmates about the bird hunting, the bird makes him unique and fascinating and splendid. Of course we viewers know that it's hard to maintain any of that in the slums.
The main character is fairly young but acts with great naturalism, apparently improvising a lot of his dialogue. The film is shot almost entirely via hidden camera, which gives the film a grainy look. Often the corners of the shot are cut off, making everything feel cramped and dim. In contrast, the scenes of nature are shot more conventionally, giving them the feeling of comparative light and space and beauty.
The film is relatively dismal, but not without its moments of tenderness and happiness. It's the sort of film you show to teenagers to inspire them and to try to get them to be empathetic.
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