"Looks and Smiles"
1981
Directed by Ken Loach

Ken Loach's third adaptation of a Barry Hines novel finds the director working yet again in the social realist vein as he tackles rampant unemployment and lost hopes in Thatcher-era England. Mick, a working-class youth played by Graham Green, struggles to find a job as a mechanic. Like so many of his companions in their industrial town, he idly watches his dream shatter. His romantic relationship with Karen (Carolyn Nicholson) is stifled in kind. The film's unwaveringly sober tone and Chris Menges' austere black-and-white photography heighten the protagonist's alienation. A Golden Palm Nominee and Winner of the Ecumenical Jury Prize at the 1981 Cannes Film Festival.  103 minutes.