In the 1930s in a small village in country Ireland, James Gralton (Ward) returns from an extended time overseas to find a community recovering from civil war. In an effort to reverse the despondence particularly felt amongst the youth, he opens a hall that quickly becomes a haven for people wanting to dance and come together. However this attracts condemnation and opposition from the Catholic Church, and he is soon branded as a dissenter and a Communist by the powers-that-be.

Director Ken Loach is someone who is probably not well known to the Hunger Games crowd, but he has been making classic British drama since the 1960s. He is a socialist, realist auteur best known for The Wind That Shakes The Barley, a film from several years ago that has many connections with Jimmy’s Hall, most noticeably the period of Irish unrest in which it is set. (As an aside, my personal favourite of Loach’s works is Ae Fond Kiss…, a beautiful love story from a decade ago). Loach has reportedly said that this is his last film, and it would be a fitting end to his career. This is an inspiring tribute to what happens to a society when those with power ignore the needs of those without. Straightforward, without sentimentality but with lots of heart, this well acted, true life drama will inspire and educate everyone.