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:

Labor Activist | Labor Condition | Labor Union | Latino America | Based On Fact

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)
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 (DeLuxe)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | 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:

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)

a film to think and to smile about

Honestly, this is one of the best films I've ever seen. I've seen it because of the 'political' story, not in spite of it, as seems to be the case with some of the audience. But either way, when I came out of the cinema, I only saw smiling faces. The good thing about Bread and Roses is, it shows average people fighting for a better live as a part of their everyday live, and feeling anger and sadness as well as having fun on the way - a nice contrast to those intellectual 'political films'. And while Ken Loachs films in the past often showed individuals in society, not without hope, but unable to really change something, this time he shows people who eventually achieve something, recognize their power in acting together and are proud of it - a real feel-good factor about the film (probably partly owing to the script which is based on real-life events). Still, it's not simplistic - it's not easy for anyone to take part in the fight (or not), errors are made, not everything can ve achieved at once. And I guess that's real hard: creating a film that makes us think AND smile. Which accounts for why there are so few around, and it's a pity loads of people won't get the chance to see it.