A working-class English boy spends his free time caring for and training his pet kestrel.
Ken Loach's acclaimed British drama focuses on Billy Casper (David Bradley), a tormented working-class boy who is subjected to abuse both at school and at home. The son of a single mother (Lynne Perrie), Billy's existence is mostly bleak until he takes up an interest in falconry and begins training a kestrel that he finds on a nearby farm. While Billy forms a close bond with the falcon, his hardscrabble life and harsh environment prove to be a challenge to the boy and his bird.
Presented as part of our Talking Pictures series. Join filmmaker Terrance Odette and film programmer Wendy Guymer-Tutt for a post-screening discussion!
"Kes is one of the most astute, engaged films about education and what it takes for kids to be excited about learning or passionate about anything, really, whether in the classroom or roaming the fields with a feathered friend." - Time Out
"Simply, the filmmakers have brought the background of the boy's life vividly into reality." - Variety
"Kes is Loach at his best." - Roger Ebert