Bread and Roses (2000)

Two Latina sisters work as cleaners in a downtown office building, and fight for the right to unionize.

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Stars:

Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo

5 wins & 10 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Pilar Padilla	...	Maya
Adrien Brody	...	Sam Shapiro
Elpidia Carrillo	...	Rosa
Jack McGee	...	Bert
Monica Rivas	...	Simona
Frankie Davila	...	Luis (as Frank Davila)
Lillian Hurst	...	Anna
Mayron Payes	...	Ben
Maria Orellana	...	Berta
Melody Garrett	...	Cynthia
Gigi Jackman	...	Dolores
Beverly Reynolds	...	Ella
Eloy Méndez	...	Juan (as Eloy Mendez)
Elena Antonenko	...	Maria
Olga Gorelik	...	Olga

Storyline

Maya is a quick-witted young woman who comes over the Mexican border without papers and makes her way to the LA home of her older sister Rosa. Rosa gets Maya a job as a janitor: a non-union janitorial service has the contract, the foul-mouthed supervisor can fire workers on a whim, and the service-workers' union has assigned organizer Sam Shapiro to bring its "justice for janitors" campaign to the building. Sam finds Maya a willing listener, she's also attracted to him. Rosa resists, she has an ailing husband to consider. The workers try for public support; management intimidates workers to divide and conquer. Rosa and Maya as well as workers and management may be set to collide.

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Plot Keywords:

janitor | justice | rose | mexican | supervisor | 

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Taglines:

The Balance Of Power Is About To Change.

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Genres:

Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong language and brief nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Channel Four Television [United Kingdom]

Country:

UK France Germany Spain Italy Switzerland

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 October 2000 (France)

Also Known As:

Pan y rosas

Filming Locations:

Doheny Library - 3550 Trousdale Parkway, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$49,662 (USA) (11 May 2001)

Gross:

$525,738 (USA) (6 July 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Parallax Pictures, Alta Films, Alta Producción

Technical Specs

Runtime:

110 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Prior to filming, Adrien Brody did undercover research as a union member in Los Angeles. He went to conventions and sat in on strike talks. A couple of the members recognized him, but Brody persuaded them not to blow his cover.

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Quotes

Sam: We want bread. But we want roses too.

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Connections

Referenced in Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

User Reviews

not since Martin Balsam

Elpidia Carrillo has a scene in this film equal to the "...I'm the best possible Arnold Burns" self-justification speech in A THOUSAND CLOWNS. It's so real and raw it's almost hard to watch. I saw this film at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, and it so beautifully delivers the drama and the realities of the Justice for Janitors campaign. Ken Loach does it again...with an American accent (ALL the Americas). Adrien Brody is Ron Leibman's NORMA RAE organizer if he were younger and less seasoned, but just as much the true believer. Pilar Padilla's Maya is all passion and youth and fun-loving troublemaker. The documentary style that Ken Loach uses is perfect for the subject.