Ken Loach’s new film is a must-see for all

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2019/nov/05/ken-loachs-new-film-is-a-must-see-for-all

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Letters: Sorry We Missed You is not just for middle-class cinephiles, says James Hope-Thompson. Hilary Fraser writes that a close relative was deeply affected by the film, while Ian Grieve says that it should be compulsory viewing for all voters

In reply to Bryn Hughes’ letter about Ken Loach, stating that “possessing the means to watch movies in cinemas might well be a valid definition of the middle class” (29 October), I saw Sorry We Missed You at a well-attended free preview screening at Odeon Liverpool at exactly the same time as the premier in London.

Similar events took place around the country, particularly in areas most affected by the gig economy. The audience was a complete mix and it was open to all. Few other film production companies would have been this thoughtful.

As a former “gig worker” in the fitness industry, fired for whistleblowing on working practices, and as a former co-carer of two parents with dementia who witnessed firsthand the extraordinary pressure on care workers, I campaign to end such practices across all sectors. I was deeply moved by this film, and I know from the audience reaction that I wasn’t the only one. If those middle-class cinephiles also happen to be HR managers, company directors, etc, they are exactly the audience that should be watching the film to see the brutal reality of what goes on at the frontline, and turn the figures on spreadsheets into the reality of the human lives they represent.James Hope-ThompsonLiverpool

• A close relative recently went through a difficult period of job loss and the subsequent humiliations of dealing with the DWP. Far from being a “middle-class cinephile”, he watched Loach’s I, Daniel Blake on TV, and was deeply affected by it, recognising his own situation in the portrayal of the loss of dignity endured by so many in recent years. Fortunately free-to-air television can still give anyone with access to a set the chance to see the work of such filmmakers as Loach.Hilary FraserReading, Berkshire

• Rather than encourage those of us who survive in the gig economy to watch the latest Ken Loach release, maybe make it compulsory viewing for anyone voting on 12 December.Ian Grieve Gordon Bennett, Llangollen canal

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