VIEW FROM THE GROUND -3

Evaporating Youth

This is the story a couple of misfits, trapped in the cycle of poverty and violence. There are four of them, under-privileged urban youth, including a girl named Mo who is a habitual kleptomaniac. Un-educated lot, not heard of Albert Einstien, don’t have any idea what Mona Lisa is. Worse, they use “philippine” in place of “philistine”. They work towards changing their environment and eventually come out of the gutter. 

The protagonist of Ken Loach's "Angels' Share" is a 25 year-old youth named Robbie (Paul Brannigan) who always parks himself in trouble, mainly on account of his “short-fuse” temper. His girl-friend's father dismisses Robbie as a sheer “waste of space”. Gunfights and street brawls are a regular fare. He is already convicted and served a jail-term. A unilateral fight Robbie picked up with an young man who was going to meet his girl landed him in the 'government guest-house' finally . Robbie orders the guy to park his car elsewhere and almost simultaneously takes out a knife! The victim has twelve stitches on his head and vision of the left eye is irreparably lost. Our man meets the victim as a part of TASC (Talk After Serious Crime) and it does make an effect. Robbie just can’t think of a similar event happening to his child. Sadly enough, he can’t break out from the cycle of violence. His latest mis-adventure is yet another fight on the street in which he injures three fellow-rowdies.

Robbie’s crime is recited before a magistrate alongwith that of others and the judge takes a lineant view. The thing that works out to Robbie’s favor is his imminent fatherhood. The judge sentences all the four misfits for “Community Payback” during which they have to do compulsory social work by way of manual labor. 

Robbie waits for the judgment

Harry (John Henshaw), the warm-hearted Community Service Supervisor is introduced here as a friendly and good-humored shepherd of the black-sheeps. He is also a connoisseur of good whiskey. He takes the ‘misfits’ to a distillery tour and there Robbie discovers his whiskey-rating abilities. He has a fine nose. He collects information from all sources and turns into a pro. 

The gang of four at the Whiskey Festival

 It so happens that Harry takes all the four to a Whiskey Festival at Edinburgh which is a rendezvous for millionaires to flaunt their fine taste. The rarest whiskeys of the world are open to auction. Robbie is accepted to this elite club and the ‘gang of four’ collects the info that the rarest barrel costing more than a million pounds is coming up for auction. Mo is at work again and she steals the site-map of the factory and warehouse from a shady collector named Thaddeus (Roger Allam).

‘Angels’ Share’ becomes an unbelievably low-tech heist movie from this point. The quartet reaches the ware-house where no surveillance cameras or security guards are in operation(??!!), Robbie gets a walk-over and siphons off three bottles. He replaces the volume with ordinary whiskey and make a quick exit. One bottle is broken during the operation and out of the balance, they gift one bottle to Harry. The last bottle is sold off to Thaddeus for “hundred grands” (100,000 pounds). Of course, they share the booty equally among themselves. The shady bidder also arranges a regular job for Robbie outside Glasgow.

The quartet decides to start a new life bidding adieu to their wayward past. After all, the misfits are victims of environment and circumstances but essentially good.

Robbie leaves Glasgow once and for all. The jail-bird wants to give a head-start to his son , he doesn’t want to perpetuate the same conditions for his ‘wee-man’ Luke....one look into the baby’s eyes is enough!

The family

 This positive aspect relegates all those ‘relevant questions’ that we are going to ask,

How come the Security is so lax for the one million pound barrel?

How can you conduct a heist with hose, hammer and head-light?

How’s it possible for a professional not to detect the appalling quality while tasting?

The answers do not matter. These young people are shaping up their destiny in spite of tough circumstances. Salute them!

The name of the movie refers to the 2% loss every year when the whiskey evaporates into thin air through porous oak (of the barrel). The Angels are getting a taste of it!

As usual, Ken Loach is trying ‘fresh stock’. The hero, Paul Brannigan, who has got a criminal record to complete his resume, is making his debut. Son of heroine addicts, Paul was sent to prison at the tender age of sixteen! Like Robbie, he too had a girl-friend and a kid in real life. He too was stuck with few prospects when Ken Loach approached him.

The film also celebrates Yin-Yang. One can feel it through the relationship between Robbie and his girl-friend Lionell (Siobhan Reilly). Just watch how she purifies him.

No wonder "Angels' Share" won the Jury Prize at Cannes in 2012.

After watching the film, one can’t help worrying about the sad plight of black teenagers, especially in the US . Give them quality education , the looting & killing at the streets will stop. Their mothers must be in perpetual agony. Think of them at least.

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