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BreadAnd Roses
ReleaseDate: 2001
E b e r tR a t i n g * * * t / z
By Roger Ebert Jun 1,2001
lf you work in a buildingwithjanitors,how muchdo they get paid?ls it enoughto decentlysupporta
family?Haveyou givenany thoughtto the question? haven't.
| Ken Loach's"Breadand Roses," a
drama abouta janitorial strikein Los Angeles,mademe think.lt suggests that the peoplewho
manage yourbuilding thejanitors little theypossibly
pay as as can,and passthe savings to your
on
employers. In
Hereis a statistic: 1982,union janitors LosAngeles
in were paid$8.50an hour,In
1999,non-union janitorswere paid$5.75.Do theyhavea health plan?Don'tmakeme laugh.
Underthe trickle-down theory, the bossmakesmillions thejanitor
if and makes$5.75,in the longrun
we all benefit.How does thls work in practice? simpleillustration suffice.
A will When both parents
have to moonlight underpaid
in jobs, that givestheirchildren opportunity get in troubleon the
an to
streets,leading arrests,
to convictions and millions dollarspumpedintothe economythroughthe
of
construction new prisonsand salaries theirguards.Rightnow Americahas a largerpercentage
of for
of its population prisonthan any otherWesternnation,but that is not good enough.
in
"Bread
and Roses"tellsits storythrough eyesof Maya(PilarPadilla), illegal
the an immigrantnewly
arrived Los Angeles. sisterRosa(Elpidia
in Her getsher a job in a sleazybar,but Mayais a
Carrillo)
good girlanddoesn't it "l wantto workwithyou cleaning offices."
like the Rosagets Mayahiredin a
high-rise,whereshe hasto kickbackher firstmonth's salary.MayameetsSam (Adrien Brody),
an
organizer thejanitors'
for union, in
who is trying signup theworkers the building.
to
For someof my readers, key words in the previous
the paragraph "illegalimmigrant."
are Why, they
should
are thinking, sucha person havea job in America all,let alonecomplain
at aboutthe low
wages?This attitude admirable its idealism, overlooks fact that the economydependson
is in but the
workers who willacceptsubstandard wages.The manwho hiresMayacertainly knowsshe is illegal.
That man'sboss,as theysay,"knowsbut doesn't know." The manabovehim doesn'tknowand
doesn't care-he's in
onlyinterested deliveringjanitorial to management the
services the building at
lowestpossibleprice.
lf the janitorswere paida decentwage plus healthbenefits, therewouldbe no shortage American
of
citizens take the1obs, it is better
to so thisway,especially sincethe illegal workers haveno rights and
are easilyintimidated. the Mexicanborderwere sealed,LosAngeleswould be a citywithout
lf
janitors, gardeners, carwashes and maids.And in Michigan, wouldpickthe fruit?
who Sam the
organizer encourages Mayaand her friends organize the unionwithinthe building--secretly,
to for of
course. "We
Rosa,the sister, not so enthusiastic: couldall loseourjobs,and thenwho wouldpay
is
the bills?" Thereis a juicyscenewherethe striking janitorsinvade house-warming a big
the of
Hollywood agency thathasjust takenoffices the building. the starclients
in Do knowtheiragents are
exploiting workers?
the (Credithereto Ron Perlman and otheractorswho play recognizable extras.)
Sam is playedby Brodyas a complex character, filledwithangerbut alsowitha streak zanystreet
of
comedian. in
He'strapped the middle because union's
the like are
bosses, all bosses, basically
establishment. Whenhis bossargues thata strike mightcostthe uniontoo muchmoney, Sam snaps
back:"No more$40 million givethe Democrats."
to Sam and Mayaare drawnto eachother, and
to
there is a shy littlelovescene,but Ken Loachis not the kindof director confusehis real storywith
the love story;he knowsthat no matterwhat happensbetween Sam and Maya,the janitorsare still
underpaid the strike stilldangerous.
and is Thatsamestubborn integrity prevents fromgiving
him the
moviea conventional "PearlHarbor," wouldhave
it
happyending. Justthink.lf he had directed ended
sadly.
Loach,from Britain, leftwing but realistic.
is The bestscenein "Breadand Roses"arguesagainst
Sam, Maya and the union.lt is a searingspeechby Rosa,delivered Carrillo
by with such forceand
shamingtruththat it couldnot have been deniedthe Oscar-ifthe academyvoters in theirwell-
cleanedbuildings ever saw movieslike this. RosaslicesthroughMaya'sidealism with hard truths,
tellingher sisterthat she workedas a prostitute pay for Maya'seducation,
to and indeedsleptwith
the supervisor get Rosa herjob. "l've beenwhoringall my life,and I'm tired,"she says. Now she
to
has a sick husbandand kidsto feed, and they take priorityover the unionand the college-boy
organizer.
The moreyou thinkaboutit, the more this movie'sendinghas a kind of nobility it. Loach,who has
to
"My
alwaysmade filmsaboutthe workingclass("Riff-Raff," Name ls Joe,""Ladybird, Ladybird"),is
too honestto believein easy solutions.
Will the unionget its contract?Will Maya and Sam live happily
ever after?Will the national
minimumwage ever be a livingwage?Will this moviechangeanything,
or this reviewmakeyou want to see it? No, probablynot. But when you come in tomorrowmorning,
someonewill haveemptiedyour wastebasket.
Cast & Credits
Maya:PilarPadilla
Sam:Adrien Brody
Rosa: ElpidiaCarrillo
Perez-.
George Lopez
Ruben: AlonsoChavez
Simona: MonicaRivas
Lions Gate FilmsPresents Film DirectedBy Ken Loach.WrittenBy Paul Laverty.RunningTime:
A
106 Minutes. RatedR (ForStrongLanguageAnd BriefNudity). EnglishAnd
In Spanrsh With English
And Spanish Subtitles.
c o p y r i g h t2 0 0 5 , r o g e r e b e r t . c o m
F I L M R E V I E W S e v n i . LB a r t o n
C o m i n gC l e a n
FILM: Breadand Roses
DIRECTOR: Ken Loach
STARRING: AdrienBrodyand PilarPadilla
GRADE:A-
One of the most aggressively filmmakers work in world
political at
cinema,British directorKen Loachhas beenmakingmovieswith
a keen socialconscience since his debutwith 1967'sPoorCow.
His outstanding body of work has included suchpictures Riff-
as
Raff and the award-winning Land and Freedom- his current
In
work, Breadand Roses,Loachshiftsfocusfrom the struggles of
the European workingclassto the plightof contemporary
Americanimmigrants. mixtureof El Norteand NormaRae,
A
Breadand Rosesis a memorable, affectingwork.
Written by Paul Laverty,Bread and Roses is the story of a pretty
and bracingly spunkyyoungLatinanamedMaya(PilarPadilla)
who crossesthe borderfrom Mexicoto livewith the Los Angeles
Eventually,
familyof her sisterRosa (ElpidiaCarrillo). Maya
landsa job alongside Rosaat a janitorialcompany thatcleans
the officeseach nightin a huge L.A.skyscraper'
Maya'sexperience, course,standsfor that of so many people
of
in her circumstances. is illegal
She to
and thusvulnerable those
"l and
who are strangers pity.Mayapromises, willworkhard,"
to
she'sas goodas herword.But herjob paysmilium wage and
comeswith no benefits any kind,no healthinsurance, paid
of no
vacation days,no sick leaveaccrual. And if that'snot bad
enough, Perez(George Lopez), janitorial
the bossin her building,
is a modern-day SimonLegree. He agrees hireMayaonly
to
afternegotiating kickback her firstmonth'ssalary.In his
a of
relations all his employees,
to Perezis routinelyabusive,
occasionally firingsomeonefor a minorinfraction as to
so
terrorize othersinto meek compliance.
the Maya is not so easily
manipulated her co-workers,
as however, and she responds to
the recruiting invitations a unionorganizer
of namedSam (Adrien
Brody). Eventually, convinces
she manyof herjanitorial
colleagues join in an organizing
to effort.
Here Loachand Lavertynicelyexaminethe competing
motivations thoseMaya and Sam needto convince they are
of if
to achieve decent
a wage and the kindsof minimal benefits most
Americans takefor granted.Mostof the employees Hispanic,
are
but otherethnicgroupsare represented well' A Russian
as
womanis afraid joining unionbecause
of a she believes theyare
corruptand won't reallyrepresent interests thosethey are
the of
supposed serve. handsome
to A youngman namedRuben
(Alonso Chavez) has beenasstduously saving moneyto
his
qualify a university
for scholarship a
that requires 2O-percent
match.Shouldhe go on strikeor be firedfor unionactivity, his
dreams couldgo up in smoke.Saddest all,Maya's
of sisterRosa
is simplydefeated. RosatellsMayain denouncing union,
the
"Wejust haveto recognize and acceptthat they are stronger
thanwe are."
Thefilmmakers nicelv
also concedethatthe unionis not a
solution all the problemsthat thesepeopleface,thatthe union
to
itselfis made up of entirelyfalliblehumanbeings.In fact,Sam's
unionsuperiors think he is wastinghis time tryingto organize
the
workers Maya'sbuilding.
in
Throughout, picturesustainsan important
the tensionconcerning
Sam'sbehavior. He'san Angloplyinghis tradein a largely
Hispanic world.He'sirresponsible times.
at And his showboating,
confrontational style remainsa debatable, arguably counter-
productive strategy. key questionpersists
A aboutwhat Sam will
do if the unionbossespullthe plug.WillSam protect own his
income,or will he stand besidethosehe has encouraged risk to
what littlethey have? ln short,the unionpreaches idealism
an
that it doesn't,perhapscan't,practice withoutqualifications. To
survive, must succeed.And in that pragmatic
it it
determination is
different less in kind than in degreefrom the forcesit wouldstrive
to topple.
Ken Loachhas alwayshad to work with smallbudgetsand often
with unknownand little{rained actors.The resultin Breadand
Rosesis the occasionally clunkyscenewhen the playersare
simplynot up to the demandsof their roles.But such moments
are few and limitedto those in minor parts.The principals all
are
terrific.
The decisionto includea romantic connection between
Sam and Mayais a mistake diminishes,
that actually ratherthan
heightens, narrativetensionin that it makesthe storyfeel more
conventional stagey.
and
On the whole,though, almostalways
as with Loach'swork,
Breadand Rosesis a film of powerand insight. personliving
A
on miliumwage,one man pointsout, spends of
three-fourths
what he earnson rent.As anyonewho has evertraveled abroad
knowsfrom first-handexperience,Americais such a richcountry,
we disgraceourselvesby not affording thosein our midsta
all
real chancefor a decentlife.
Tonrato OliveCil
FireRoasted &
nrcurally..lnd;lrrlficli lly llavored
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"BreadandRoses"
'l'he
problcrn vr'ith half'-Spzrnish.
Kcn l-oach's flhn
hall-Fjnglish
isn'tthe lefiy politics. thatthe Brit ltnor'r's
it's nothingaboutLos
Angeles.
By Andrew O'Hehir
)une 7,2001 | For Ken Loach,the veteran Englishleftistwho
is in someways the ultimateanti-Hollywood director, make
to
a movie aboutthe strikingLatino janitorsof Los Angelesis an act of admirable bravado. I only wish it wasn't
such a patchy affair.Loach'sbestll'ork is his semidocumentary explorationof the desperate fringesof the
"BreadandRoses"is almostentirelyunspecific, blank screen
a on
British workingclass, the Los Angelesof
but
which he canprojecta predictable dramaof class It's to
struggle. ridiculous suggest that a fbreignercan't"get"
L.A., since"Sunset Boulevard"and "Chinatown" but
rvereboth directed Europeans, Loach,for all his hard
by
work and boundless goodintentions,doesn't havethe remotest f-eeling the place.
for
"the otherN'likeLcigh." andas unfairas the
BeforeI hadseen *, "rLoach's movieshe was described me as to
comparison may be on a numberof levels,to Americanviewersit's still likely to seemappropriate. Both have
their roots in documentary-style British TV drama,and both are avowedleftistswho gaineda reputation for
exploringthe underside British life in the Margaret
of Thatcher on
years.But u'hile Leigh focused bittersweet
"Secrets Lies"),Loach's
portraitsof sub-bourgeois family life (like "Life Is Sweet"and,of course, and world in
fllms like "Riff-Raff," "RainingStones" and "Ladybird,l,adybird" was the world of crapjobs andtheir absence,
of the grasping poverlythat'sa half-step abovedesperation.
Loach'slastfilm, "N11' Naunc .loe staningPeterMullan as a Glasgowalcoholicstruggling rebuildhis life,
Is ," to
was brutal and riveting drama,perhaps bestwork of his entirecareer.But throughoutthat career,
the Loach's
left-wing,anti-imperialistpolitics-- which I admire, --
with certainreservations haveoccasionally luredhim
"Land and Freedom," long-awaited
his Spanish Civil War saga,was
into the doldrums didacticdrama.
of
"Carla's Song,"with its peculiarseguefrom Scotlandto
somehowlessmemorable thanit shouldhavebeen,and
the Sandinistarevolution, was an uneasy work, sometimes sometimes
bitterlyetched, treaclyand sentimental.
"BreadandRoses"is clearlya laborof love for everybody
concerned, no doubtits rarvmaterial a gold
and is
mine of stories: livesof the immigrantworkers,
the clean
oftenundocumented,'uvho the oflce buildings of
powerbrokers.
L.A.'s entertainment-industry Thereis alsono question that Hispaniclife in Americais
drastically on-screen
underrepresented (unless but
you count,Lennit'elLoplz), after its dynamite first 10
minutes, "BreadandRoses" isn'tmuch morethancanned political-organizingdrama,"NormaRae"with a little
"El
norteflomusic.(For an immigrationdrama, the far superior Norte"; as a portraitof LatinoEastL.A., see
try
"Mi Vida Loca.")
the modestbut appealing
We start with a bangas Maya (PilarPadilla), spirited
a the
youngwomanfrom rural Mexico, is fenied across
borderby vicious "coyotes,"or smugglers, and must escape from the one who kidnapsher as a sex slave.
Maya finds her beleaguered sister,Rosa(Elpidia Canillo), who getsher a job working for thejanitorial
companymanaged the loathsomePerez(GeorgeLopez).Then shemeetsSam (Adrien Brody), the young
by
white activisttrying to rally the unorganizedjanitors the union cause,
to and most of her spirit seems leach
to
away into the movie's plodding forrnula.
When her hunky co-worker Luis (FrankieDavila), himself a paragonof virtue who is savingto go to law school
(it's unclearwhetherhe intendsto go to collegefirst), quite plausiblysuggests
that Maya is mainly interestedin
the labor strugglebecause she'ssweeton Sam,shedeniesit. "l'm doing this for the 40 million peoplewho have
no health insurance the richest country in the world!" shepronounces.
in Oh.
As that examplesuggests, Paul Laverty'sscreenplay frequentlybalky, unidiomatic and ladenwith clichds,
is
whether in Spanish, English or the territory in between.Thereare a coupleof nicely compactscenes showing
exactly what membersof the janitorial staff do when they rvork, alwaysa fascinationof Loach'sand an invisible
arenain most American movies; and the core group of Latin, Caribbean and EasternEuropeanactors(mostly
nonprofessionals) undeniablyappealing.
is
But we get few glimpsesof their home lives or idiosyncrasies, with the lone exceptionof Rosa,an embittered,
weather-beaten beauty(wonderfully played by Canillo) and the only one among them who doessomething
selfish and apparentlyevil. The explosivescenervhenRosafinally tells Maya why shehas betrayed own her
sisterand her co-workersalmost redeems this halting,stutteringmovie, and lends its ending an unexpected
sting. What it really suggests that Loach and Laverfy,on their American adventure,
is have chosenthe wrong
story and the wrong centralcharacter.
About the writer
is
AlclrqrlQ_'Hehir a Salon
contributingwriter.
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our
Beyond Ken
Film of the Month: Bread and Roses
Ken Loach's latest film is his first set in Los Angeles, but this
expos6 of labour relations in the City of Dreams is no Hollywood
sell out, argues Peter Matthews
g
B r e a da n d R o s e sc a n ' t b e c a l l e do n e o f K e n L o a c h ' s r e a t e s tw o r k s ,b u t
t h e f a c t i s t h a t v i r t u a l l yn o o t h e r d i r e c t o rw o u l d t h i n k o f a t t e m p t i n ga f i l m
jd
a b o u tt h e p l i g h to f n o n - u n i o n i s e a n i t o r s n L o sA n g e l e sW h i l et h i s m a y
i .
j
n o t s o u n dl i k e a t e r r i f i ci n d u c e m e n f o r p o p c o r n u n k i e s ,t h e k e e n s e n s e
t
o f m o r a l r e s p o n s i b i l i tiy f o r m i n gt h e p r o d u c t i o n a k e sm o s t c u r r e n t
n m
c i n e m al o o k f a t u o u s l y e l f - a b s o r b e b y c o m p a r i s o nI.n a c a r e e rs p a n n i n g
s d
m o r e t h a n t h r e e d e c a d e s o a c hh a s n e v e r b u d g e df r o m h i s r a d i c a l
L
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p r i n c i p l e sd e s c r i b i n gh e e v e r y d a yt r u t h o f t h e m a r g i n a l i t h f e w
, t
c o n c e s s i o nts p o l i t i c ao r a e s t h e t i c a s h i o n .H i s s h e e rd o g g e d n e s is
o l f s
o f t e n t a k e n f o r a s p e c i e s f n a i v e t y- a s i f h e w e r e a M a r x i s tc o u n t r y
o
b u m p k i nw h o s es e n t i m e n t a ld d i c t i o no t h e p r o l e t a r i a to n s i g n e h i m t o
a t c d
t h e a s h - h e a p f h i s t o r y .Y e t i n a p e r i o do f s t y l i s t i c s t e n t a t i o nL o a c h ' s
o o ,
m o d e s tt r a n s p a r e n c o f m e a n s i s s a l u t a r y .
y
T h e r e ' s o m e t h i n g e r y B r i t i s h b o u ta f i l m - m a k e w h o t u r n sp a r o c h i a l i s m
s v a r
i n t o a s t r e n g t h ,k n o w i n gh i s a r t d e p e n d s o r i t s f o r c eo n a s o d d e n
f
( i
f a m i l i a r i t y i t h t h o s ed o m e s t i ci n s t i t u t i o n s s u c ha s t h e s o c i a ls e r v i c e sn
w
L a d y b i r d a d y b i r d , 1 9 9 4 ) h a t c i r c u m s c r i b t h e l i v e so f o r d i n a r yp e o p l e .A
L t e
p
L o a c hf i l m s t a k e si t s c l a i mt o a u t h e n t i c i t y n t h e c o n c r e t e a r t i c u l a r s f
o o
c l a s s ,r e g i o na n d ( t o t h e d e s p a i ro f h i s f o r e i g nd i s t r i b u t o r sd i a l e c t- w h i c h
)
h
i s w h y t h e i d e a o f h i m s e t t i n gu p s h o p i n H o l l y w o o d a s a l w a y ss e e m e d
an a t h e m a .
I t w o u l d b e e a s y t o b l a m et h e i n a d e q u a c i eo f B r e a da n d R o s e so n t h e
s
a
d i r e c t o r ' s a s h d e c i s i o no f o r s a k eh i s n a t i v es o u r c e s f i n s p i r a t i o n n d
r t o
t e s t h i m s e l fi n a n e n v i r o n m e nfto r w h i c h h e w a s m e n t a l l yu n p r e p a r e d .
E v e nt h e m o s t h o n o u r a b l ei l m a r t i s t ss u f f e ra t t a c k so f h u b r i s .T h e l a s t
f
S
t i m e f o r K e n L o a c hw a s i n t h e d i s c o n c e r t i n g ls c h i z o i d a r l a ' s o n g
y C
( 1 9 9 6 ) , w h i c h c o n n e c t e d i t h r e a l i t ys o l o n g a s i t k e p t t o t h e s t r a i g h ta n d
w
B u t i f L o a c hf e e l ss p i r i t u a l l y i s p o s s e s s eid T i n s e lT o w n ,t h e n s o d o t h e
d n
i
M e x i c a n l l e g a li m m i g r a n t sw h o s e s t o r y h e t e l l s .I t ' s h e r e t h a t t h e p r o s a i c
-
l o o k o f t h e m o v i e b e t r a y sa n e t h i c a ld i m e n s i o n L o a c hd e n i e su s a
touristic spectaclethe charactersthemselveshave scant leisureto enjoy.
I n s t e a dh e s t i c k st o t h e i m m e d i a t ev i c i n i t yo f t h e s t e e la n d g l a s st o w e r
w h e r e t h e j a n i t o r sw o r k , f r a m i n gt h e m s i m p l y i n a n o n y m o u s i n d o w sa n d
w
corridors.It may not even matter that one can't alwayssay where the
'
p r o t a g o n i s t sa l i e n a t i o n n d s a n d t h e d i r e c t o r ' s e g i n s .A s u p p o s e d l y
e b
c o m i c a le p i s o d e n w h i c h t h e e x p l o i t e dc a s u a l s n v a d ea s w a n k H o l l y w o o d
i i
party with their vacuum cleanersis so poorly staged it suggestsLoach
h a s n e v e rb e e n w i t h i n m i l e s o f s u c h a n e v e n t , B u t t h e s t i f f , u n c o n v i n c i n g
q u a l i t yo f t h e s e q u e n c e l s o r e v e a l ss o m e t h i n g- f o r i t e f f e c t i v e l y e n u d e s
a d
t h e s h o w - b i z y p e s o f c o n v e n t i o n ag l a m o u ra n d m i m i c st h e i r s q u i r m i n g
t l
t
e m b a r r a s s m e na t t h e s o c i a lc o n t r a d i c t i o ns t a r i n gt h e m i n t h e f a c e .
T h r o u g h o u t h e r e a r e s i m i l a rs m a l l v i c t o r i e s f t r a n s f i g u r e d w k w a r d n e s s .
o a
A n e l d e r l yc l e a n e r ' s t r i c k e ne x p r e s s i o n h e n s h e ' sp e r e m p t o r i l yi r e d f o r
s w f
b e i n g l a t e a p p e a r s o s p r i n ga s m u c h f r o m a n o n - p r o f e s s i o n a c t o r ' s
t l
d i s c o m f o r t s f r o m h e r c h a r a c t e r ' s i s f o r t u n e Y e t t h i s f l e e t i n gm o m e n t
a m .
-
d e l i v e r st h e s h o c ko f r e a l i t yc a u g h t r e d - h a n d e d w h i c h i s t o s a y t h a t
L o a c hr e m a i n ss t e a d f a s t n h i s c o m m i t m e n tt o b l u r r i n gt h e b o u n d a r i e s
i
b e t w e e nd o c u m e n t a r v n d f i c t i o n .
a
T h e f i l m ' ss p a r t a nm i s e e n s c d n ei s l a r g e l yc o - o r d i n a t e d i t h t h e c l e a n e r s '
w
d u l l b l u e u n i f o r m s- m u s t e r i n ga p i c t o r i a l l o u r i s ho r t w o o n l y a f t e r t h e y ' v e
f
s w i t c h e d o r e d J u s t i c e - f o r - J a n i t oTs s h i r t s .O n e e D i cs h o t o f t h e n e w
t r-
m i l i t a n t sc r o s s i n g b r i d g ee n m a s s ee v o k e s2 0 s S o v i e tc i n e m a ,a n d t h e
a
s t e a l a p p e a r sd e l i b e r a t e L i k e L a n d a n d F r e e d o m( 1 9 9 5 ) a n d s o m e e a r l i e r
.
films Loachmade for television(The Big Flame, 7969; Days of Hope,
L 9 7 5 ) , B r e a da n d R o s e sc o m e s n e a r t o r e a l i s i n g h e E i s e n s t e i n i ain e a lo f
t d
a c o l l e c t i v e e r o .T h o u g ht h e c l a s ss t r u g g l ei n t h i s c a s er e m a i n so n t h e
h
m o l e c u l a r e v e l( a s i n R i f f - R a f f 1 9 9 1 ) ,t h e c h a r a c t e r s r e b a s i c a l l y
l , a
e m b l e m s f d i s s e n r a t h e rt h a n i n d i v i d u a lis t h e i ro w n r i g h t .T h e
o t n
i m m i g r a n tw o r k e r ss p o r t a n o n y m o u sl i v e r y ,w h i l e t h e i r c o r p o r a t e a s t e r s
m
a r e p o r t r a y e da s s o m a n y h e a d l e s s u i t s a n d s h u f f l i n g h o e s .
s s
L o a c hc o u l d h a r d l yb e m o r e g r a p h i ci n a n n o u n c i n g m e t h o db a s e do n
a
g r o u p d i a l e c t i c s n d s o c i a lt y p a g e .T h e r e ' sa g e s t u r a lh e r o i n ei n t h e s h a p e
a
o f f e i s t y M a y a ( P i l a rP a d i l l a ) b u t s h e ' sa L a t i ns p i t f i r es t r a i g h to u t o f
,
.
c e n t r a lc a s t i n g h o s es o l e n a r r a t i v ef u n c t i o ni s t o b e p o l i t i c i s e dL o a c h
w
a n d s c r e e n w r i t eP a u lL a v e r t ya r e s o u n e q u i v o c a l lo n t h e j a n i t o r s 's i d e
r y
t h e y ' r e w i l l i n gt o f o r e g oa d e g r e eo f m o r a l s u b t l e t y . i m e a n d a g a i n ,o n e
T
f e e l sa m b i g u i t i e s a v e b e e n q u a s h e di n t h e i n t e r e s to f a c l e a r
h
r e v o l u t i o n a r y a l e sp i t c h . F o r a b r i e f s e a s o ni t l o o k sa s i f S a m ( A d r i e n
s
B r o d y ) , h e e a g e rl a b o u ro r g a n i s ew h o h a z a r d s u m a nl i v e sa t l i t t l e
t r h
l
p e r s o n a r i s k , w i l l b e a s c r i b e d p a i r o f c l u m p i n gc l a y f e e t . B u t t h a t w o u l d
a
p
c o m p l i c a t e o a c h ' s r o l e t a r i a n e r o - w o r s h i ps o a n y l i n g e r i n g u s p i c i o n
L h , s
getstransferred n to the higher-ups represented y one of his typically
o ( b
c a u t i o u s n d s e l f - s e e k i n g n i o no f f i c i a l s ) .
a u
-l
l u s t a b o u t t h e o n l y t i m e t h e m o v i e p l u m b sm u r k i e rd e p t h si s i n t h e
e m o t i o n a l l y v e r p o w e r i n g c e n ew h e r e M a y a ' s i s t e rR o s a( E l p i d i a
o s s
e w
C a r r i l l o ) x p l a i n s h y s h e f i n k e do n t h e a c t i v i s t s o m a n a g e m e na n d
t t
p o u r s f o r t h h e r s c a l d i n g e s e n t m e n t f t h e w h o l ef a m i l y .S u d d e n l y o u ' r e
r o y
y
t o r n a p a r t b e c a u s e o u r e c o g n i s eh a t e v e r y o n e a s t h e i r r e a s o n s F o r a
t h .
f e w p r e c i o u s o m e n t s ,L o a c ha c h i e v e s h e s a m e q u a l i t yo f n a k e d
m t
observationhe sustainedin his 1998 masterpiece Name fs Joe (and My
r r
o n e i s s i m i l a r l y e m i n d e dt h a t r e a l i s mc a n ' t a l w a y sb e d i s t i n g u i s h efd o m
m e l o d r a m a ) O t h e r w i s eB r e a da n d R o s e ss h o u l dd o m u c h t o p l a c a t e
. ,
-
t h o s e c r i t i c sw h o h a v e c h a r g e dt h e d i r e c t o rw i t h m i s e r a b i l i s m t h e r e a r e
e v e n d o l l o p s f s p r i g h t l ye t h n i cm u s i ct o
o p u n c t u a t e h e j a n i t o r s 'm e r r i e r
t
o t
a s s a u l t s n t h e c a p i t a l i s o r d e r .Y e t a n u p b e a tK e n L o a c hi s n ' t n e c e s s a r i l y
s
w h a t w e w a n t . F o r a g a i n s tt h e f a c i l es o l u t i o n s o w o r k i n g - c l a sd e c l i n e
t
proposedby the likes of Eilly Elliot or The Full Monty, Loach'sbest work
n
d a r e s t o s p e a ka n e v e r l a s t i n g a y .
http://rvu'r,v.caleudarlive.conr/rnuvies/r'cv j
ier,i l-rnovic0l I 0-3.0.-5 768 .story
s/c 05 02
MOVIE REVIEW
Breadand Roses
The Political Is Personalin tBread and Rosest
By KEVIN THOMAS
TIMES STAFFWRITER
M a v1 0 . 2 0 0 1
FridayMay I1,2001
It is somehowappropriate that "Bread and Roses,"a film depictingthe struggleof predominantlyLatino
Los Angelesjanitors to form a union, was directedby a foreigner.After all, *ho ir beiterequippedio make
sucha film than England's Ken Loach,who hasspenthis entiredistinguished careermakingsocial,
economicand politicalissues personal and involvingratherthanpreachy?
Indeed,that this is Loach'sfirst film madein the U.S.--but outside mainstream
the Hollywoodindustry,to
be sure--is undeniably plus,heightening
a Loach'sidentification with his largelyimmigrantcharacters.
"Breadand
Roses" beginsin a rushofjagged images a groupof peoplehasten
as througha thicketof
foliage to crossa remotespot along the borderbetweenMexico and the U.S. Trvo men swiftly herd the
illegal immigrants into a van, depositing them in a spotin dor.vntown Angeles,
Los wherefriendsand
relativeseagerlyar,vait them.
Among the groupis Maya (Pilar Padilla,a terrif-rc nervcomer), youngwomanwho is dismayed
a thatthe
men won't release to her older sisterRosa(ElpidiaCanillo), who hasbeenunableto meetthe full price
her
of Maya'sjourney.
One of the men wins Maya in a tossof the coin lvith his partner, preparing rapeher in a seedy
to
downtownhotel room. But Maya demonstrates right olf the luck and pluck that will serveher well when she
escapes makesher way to Rosa'shome on the edgeof downtorvnand Rosagetsher a job working as a
and
cleanerin a high-rise wheresheworks.
Maya is as eagerto proveherselfas sheis appalled the working conditions.
at Her sisterandher new co-
rvorkerslive in terror of their boss,Perez(GeorgeLopez),as villainous and tyrannicalas a sweatshop bossat
the turn of the last century.The workers are underpaidand haveno insurance job security.Perezfires
or
peopleon a whim, with older workersespecially vulnerable. Many are clearlyundocumented, mosthave
families eitherhereor southof the border (or both) and thereforehavetoo much to lose to darestandup to
the abusiveness Perez, employee a largeagency janitorialworkers.
of an of for
Consequently, r.vhen labor organizer-lawyer Sam Shapiro(Adrien Brody) manages eludethe security
to
guards,with an unhesitating thoughpuzzledassistfrom Maya, he doesnot elicit enthusiasm fiom her co-
workers when he finally manages give them his spiel.They understandably they haveeverythingto
to feel
loseand cannotbelievethey havea chance lvinning.Maya,however, just naiveand idealistic
at is enoughto
respond his message, sheshares
to and with him a fearless, evenreckless spirit.
Fver so gradually,the tr.voof them are ableto get their co-workersto stagea demonstration boldly
orchestrated Sam to embarrass high-profile law firm that hasa 50o/o
by the ownershipof the high-rise.
I
written by Paul Laverty with broad--sometimes almosttoo broad--strokes melodrama
"Breadand of and comedy,
Roses"is imaginativelyplotted to intertwinethe personaland
the political and is well sustained
by Loach'svitality and passion.Theie'smuch that Maya doein't
know aboutdoru, who hasa husband (Jack
McGee) increasinglyendangered diabetes withtut insurance
by but and two children.The film buildsto an
unexpected and stunningmoment of truth between sisters,
the which revealsCarrillo, a notablepr.rln.. io
"Salvador"
and "The Border,"as a formidable actress,
It's perfectly naturalthat the sweet-natured,gangly Samand the earthy Mayawould be drawn to each
-
other,just as Maya and Ruben (Alonso chavezi,u i*dro-. co-workerwith a law schoolscholarship
almostwithin reach,would be mutually attracted. The strength this vibrant, stirring film is that it doesn,t
of
get sidetracked trying to encompass love story,and fuihermore
by a daresto end on-anote that is decidedly
bittersweet.
"Bread
and Roses"hits home when o:reof Maya'sco-workersobserves, "v/hen
we put on uniforms,we
become invisible."It's a truth as uncomfortable it i, undeniable.
u,
Bread and Roses,2001.R, for stronglanguage brief nudity.A
and Lions GateFilms release.
DirectorKen
p.oducer s"r""npruy paulLavefi.
yl.i+ ielsberg. by
:l:*"t::::f:"1""t:*l
cinematographer Ackrovd.
Ba.ry ^o,":l:';l*e"util,"
Editor
Jonathan
Morris. p"nto.iioiilffi
MusicGeoige iJrlrliJ;
Martin
Johnson' Runningtime: I hour, 50 minutes.Pilar Padillaas Maya. Adiien Brody
as Sam shapiro.Elpidia
Carrillo as Rosa' GeorgeLopezas Perez.Alonso Chavezas Ruben.Jack McGee as Bert.
lf you want otherstories thistopic,searchthe Archives latimes.com/archives.
on at
filSReprinrs
Article licensingand reprint options
Copyright
2007 LosAngelesTimes
C L I C KT
;;:
D
j.',- 'a
FeatureslColumnslBlogslNewslMusiclFilmlTvlDVDslBookslComicslMuttimedialEventslpopComixl
a b o u t c o n t r i b u t o r s s u b m i s s i o n s b o o k i m p r i n t a d v e r t i s i n g c o n t e s t s P o p s h o p M e d i aC e n t e r
C A L L F O R P A P E R S :P o p M a t t e r s s e e k s f e a t u r e e s s a y s a b o u t a n y a s p e c t o f p o p u l a r c u l t u r e , p r e s e n t o r p a s t .
Bread and Roses
Director: Ken Loach
C a s t : P i l a r P a d i l l a , d r i e n B r o d y , E l p i d i aC a r i l l o ,G e o r g e L o p e z
A
{Lions Gate Films, 2000) Rated: R
b y J o n a t h a nB e e b e
' . e - m a i t h i sa r t i c l e
l
iFF]
: . p r i n tt h i sa r t i c l e
: , c o m m e no n t h i sa r t i c l e
t
Foreign Voices
What I love most irbout Ken Loach's
films are the voices he gives us. It's
rare to hear in his fihls the stanclard
Itritish acccnt rve get in rnost British
productions- Loacrh one of the ferv is
f i l r n r n a k c r s( a l o n g i v i t h M i k e L e i g h )
u'ho actually gets his charactersspcaking eccurately,in language;'ou rnight hear in
the real r'r'orlcl. Since nrost of his protagonistscome from the rvorking-classin Britain
ancl Ireland, the:irirccentsare cornpletcll.foreign to rne, anything but the genteel
voices I grerv trp hearing in Martl Poppins ancll,currertce oJ'Arobia. If you'r'enot
seen a tilm b1' Ken Loach, ttt' to retneurberDavid Niven's or Nec Guinness'svoice
r n r l l l t r ' n i r t l t g i n . 't l t t 'e x a tt o p p r , s i 1 1 ' .
'I.hesc
to
accentsare imlir.rt'tant l,oirch'stilurs bccauseher's nrost concernecl lvith
portraf ing rvorking class lives in as realistic a \\'Avas possibir:.With films like
I'achybirdLculybird anclMy i/arttc is .Ioe,hc's trf ing to make r,isibleand audible an
ttntlcrclassall too
me sees-- ancl hears -- in his flhns sclmethingI'r'e not been exposecl befclre. to This is
rvhy I r'r'as eager to see Loiich's new film, set on u.S. soil. I r,vanted hirn to sho.rv me
s o r n e t h i t ' t g b o t t t r n 1 ' c o u u t n 't h a t I r v a s n ' ta c c u s t o m e d o h e a r i n ga n c ls e e i n g . n
a t I
j
R r c u d o t t r l R o . s e sh c c l o e su s t t h a t , a l t h o r r g hi n a w ' a vt h a t I h a c ln o t a n t i c i p a t e d .
.
-l'irc
filnr centers on a \oung Mcxican, Nlaya (Pilar Padilla), ivho illegally crossesthe
borcler into Sotrthern Califblnia iu order to be u'ith her sister, Rosa (ElpicliaCarillo),
rvho had come overl'ears befort:.NIa.1 stlugglcs to fincl ."vorlirvithotrt official papers,
a
ancl flnds herself maniprrlatcd anclexploited in job after job. Rosa eventually finds
Maya a regular position at the cleaning cornpany'ivhereshe n'orks, although it cornes
at the price of a full month's salarf'.Soon Sam (r\drien Brody), a representativeof the
ttrganizationJustice for,lanitors, shou,sup, trying to cclnvincethe workers to
tunionize,ancl it's through this stnrggle that r,ve
see May,acome to political awareness.
In manl'rvavs, llt'cczcl orrri Rosesis not very diffcrcnt flcim Loach's British films,
conc'erncdl'ith t'epresenting the n orliing classancl the social institutions that sen'e
thetn so inadequately.lVhat I llncl nrost interesting about the lihn, though, ollce
a g a i n g o e sb a c k t o v o i c e .I n B r i t a i n , a c c e n tm a p s o n t o s o c i a l c l a s si n a m u c h m o r e
systerrratic rvay than it cloesin the States.(This is what drives My Fair Ladg,tor
i n s t a n c e ,r v i t h E l i z a D o o l i t t l c c o n t i n u o r i s l l ' r e p e a t i n g",' f h e r a i n i n S p a i n f a l l s m a i n l y
on thc plain," as a rvityof advancingsocial class.)
In the States,accent also has meaning, but in a dift'erent lvay. It is not as closelytied
to ideas of classas much as it is to geographicalregion, race, and ethnicity ancl,even
Mr. & Mrs. Smith --,t among these categories, different voicesmean different things. In the firsi caseof
Includes deleted
3 scenes, geographicalregion, an accentis less investedrvith vnlue. This is not to say that
castcommentary more.
& regional acceut never-has anything to say about class,especiallyas the accelt gets
Ordernow! thickcr. (In Silenceof the Lombs,fol instanc'e, Clarice Starling continrrouslytrics t
www.foxstore.com
s h e d h e r s o r r t h ( ' r ' nr ' r r n gi n o r d c r t o h i d e t h e i r r c tt h r r t s h e g r t , r vu p o n a [ r r m . )
t
It's lvhen w'eget to voicesthat cocle(accordingto cufrent stereotl'pes)as non-rvhite
K n o c k e dU p - J u n e l s t that classcomes tnuch tnore readily into the rnix. And so, when Ken Loach deciclecl
The Next Comedy from to turn his gazeon the U.S., I think it mahes a lot <-if
sensethat he choseto sive us
the Director The 40-
of voices that uruch of the tirne do not er.enspeak English. Using a Mexican irnrrrigrant
Year-Old Virginl to talk abottt classin America, Loach exploresthe rvaysthat rice and ethnicity ire
www.knockedupmovie.com intt'icatelybound to questionsof emporvernrentand wealth. 'fhe issue is complicated
even more by the tact that Rosa cannot possibly represent the varieties of
disenfranchisedpeople n'ho find themselvesin similar situations in the U.S. She
can't represent Hispanic Americans in a broaclsense,becausethey cornefrom
Ashlev Judd in "Buo" nulllerotls backgroundsand cultures.,Justbecauseshe speaks Spanishdoes not
SeeAshleyJudd'sNew rnean that she feels mttch in col]unon n'ith people fron other South American
Movie"Bug".Get Ticket& countries. And yet, much of tlre time this is hou'she is looked at b1.thervhite
Showtime Informationl charactersin the fihn.'l'he1'seeher as "other," regardlessof the particularitiesof her
L i o ns g a t e . o m / B u g
c ol.vnsituation.
I t ' s t h i s t 1 ' p eo f r e a c t i o nt h a t c o t t t e s i o s e s t o d u p l i c a t i n gt h c l i m i t i n g n a t u r e o f c l a s s
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t ' t ' r l r t i tttv a - rB t ' t ' r t t t s ri-s p r u t l r q r r n i sito t ' s n ' c v e ns l ) r ' i l k i r r q l i s h, , r i r r r o l ' , ' t h i h r r l lo f
h t t I l Ln I
AccessTo DataBase the filnt, Loach t-lnphirsizes that manv Americans are nr-rt living in a lanclof "fi eeclorn I
Yl$/\,Vtelern:lnla be a n c lp l e n t l ' . "W e c l o n ' te \ ' ( ' ns P ( ' a k h ( ,s . r n t p a n g u a g e b o t h l i t c ; ; l l l l . a n c li n t h c s e n s c r
t l ,
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that our claily lii'etsinvolve vcr-r cliflerentconsiclerations. borrorv ltrm the titler, (
"roses."
ouc American priptrlationsrnells u.hiler another struggktsfor "breacl." {
(
EjIrt.XX X e
B e t : u r r sL o a c h i s I J f i t i s h .h e i s a i r l e t o l o o k a t t h c u . S . r v i t l i o u t u r a n r . ' o t h e
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Precoltceived notions most Arlcrican clirectorsbu1,into. t{e offers i cornpelling
Information FilmX?
on picturc of n'hat it tricansto be bloclted fronr full acccssto the irublic sphere.Being
VisitUs Here from the orttsicitr, thorigh. rloeshavc its drau'bucks:in sorne senscs,Loach never
n e e d h e l p o ni n f o / f i l r ni i n r x
f
r c a l l v g e t s t o l < t r o uh i s c h a r a c t e r sH e o b s e r v c s h e m u i t i p l i c i t l ' o f i m m i g t a n t
' . t
expericncearndthe exploitation of rvolkcls, but his vision seelrs sinrplified at
ttlotnents.The filrn doesn't spend a lot of time thinking about the way'sthat unions,
for instance,do trot alwa-vs reprcscnt the best interests of their menrbers.It doesn't
spend enottgh time looliing at Rosa'sresisternce the union clespiteher or,vn to stmggl6
to send l.rlone\'--an\'\vav she can -- back to her farlilv in Mexicro. Ntostglaringlv, the
f i l n c l o e s n ' t h i n l i i n a r n ' s l ' s t c r n a t i cv a t 'a b o u t t h e i m p l i c a t i o n so f i t s c h o i t , e f a n
r o
illcgal alien to be thc ltet'oof this Anit:ricun tale. 'l'he fihn neve'r' reall1'explores u,hat
it rneansfor N'lay'a struggle firr represcntationin a country u,hereshe does not
to
holcl citizenship.\Vhile she ernboclies rvhat it e'r.en ureans to refer to sorneonelivine
i n t h e u . S . a s " i l l e g a l , "i t s t i l l m i g h t b e t o o e a s yl o r a v i e r v e rt o d i s n i i s st h e
exploitation Nlava faces,bv attributing it to her "illegal" status. rather than realizing
that legal aliens and full citizcns ale clisenfi'ancrhised daiiy.
Despite its occasiortitl ovcr-simplification, hon'evcr,IJrectcl and 1?ose.s a porverfully
is
affecting filtn. l,oach revealsAtncricun live.sthat are not ah,vay's secn. For this flrct
alottc. one call lirrgive hin'rthe occasionalagitprop (trt least I can, .rvhen agitprolr it's
w i t h r v h i c h I t e n d t o a g r e e ) .H e t n a k t ' sa r r c l i b l c c i i c e sh a t m a n v A n r e l i c a n s i c
v t a
trnn'illing to iistcn to fbr all sotts of complt'x leastrns.It's rrotjrist that people tr.eat
N'Iaya the rvay'theycloltcrcause racisnr or classisnrirlonc.
of
The filnr shorvshorv t'itcistncau irecomea typc of classisn. \\rc're usccito seeing
media ituagesof racial or ethnic srrbpopulationsassociatecl ivith an economic
w
u n c l e r c l a s s , h i l e b e i n gp e r p e t u a l l l ' f o r c e cn t o t h a t u n d e r c l a s s l l t h e t i m e b v a n y
il a
numberof factors. whenyou look at any given"other"in termsof the several
It's
out
discourses ofwhich it is constntcted you are ableto seethe people
that behind
the preconception. l'his is primarilywhat Loachoffels us -- a way to understandand
listen to the U.S.populations who are usuallir welcorne citizens. coulse,
not as Of he
wantsttsto do morethanjust listen,but his portrayalof Maya's questto be counted
is a sienificantstart.
advertising about I contributors subrnissions
I I
O f 9 9 9 - 2 0 0 7 P o p l " l a t t e r s , c o m l.l r r g h t sr e s e r v e d .
A
'
P o p M a t t e r s . c o m a-n d P o p M a t t e r s ' a 'r e t r a d e m a r k s f P o p M a t t e r M e d i a , n c . J n d P o p 1 4 , r t t eMs g a z t n e
^ o s I r a