Bread and Roses (2000)

Director:

Ken Loach

Writer:

Paul Laverty (screenplay)

Release Date:

22 September 2000 (Greece)

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

The Balance Of Power Is About To Change.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Janitor | Justice | Supervisor | Mexican | Rose

Awards:

5 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Bread & Roses (alternative spelling)
Bread and Roses (France)
Brot und Rosen (Germany)
Pan y rosas (Spain)

MPAA:

Rated R for strong language and brief nudity.

Runtime:

110 min

Country:

UK | France | Germany | Spain | Italy | Switzerland

Language:

English | Spanish

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | USA:TV-MA (cable rating) | Argentina:13 | Canada:14A | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIB | Netherlands:AL | South Korea:18 | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | Switzerland:12 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:12 (canton of Vaud) | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Parallax Pictures

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.

Quotes:

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

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Ocean's Thirteen (2007)

Uncle Ken goes to America

This is Ken Loach's first film to be made in America, which might have proved risky for a director so closely associated with his native Britain as Loach.

Happily, it is a complete success, proving once and for all that Ken Loach's films are universal because of his attitudes to people rather than his politics. It's a shame Loach is so associated with politics as that puts off an audience who might otherwise enjoy his films.

Bread and Roses is about a group of South American immigrant janitors who protest in order to get union rights. Might not sound exciting but trust me, if you're prepared to watch the film on its own terms, it'll give you far more than Battlefield Earth.

The (mostly unfamiliar) cast is uniformly excellent and it would be a crying shame if they went unnoticed when the little gold statues were handed out. The one "star" name, Adrian Brodey, is superb and justifies the hype which has grown up around him. By choosing to work on interesting projects with gifted directors, he's showing just how hollow most actors in America are today.

OK, it'll probably remain firmly lodged in the Art House ghetto and no one will see it. But if you're bored of special effects, if you're tired of Hollywood cliches and if you want to see something mature for a change, check it out.