Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Ricky and his family have been fighting an uphill struggle against debt since the 2008 financial crash. An opportunity to wrestle back some independence appears with a shiny new van and the chance to run a franchise as a self-employed delivery driver. It's hard work, and his wife's job as a carer is no easier. The family unit is strong but when both are pulled in different directions everything comes to breaking point.
Ken Loach's Sorry We Missed You is a searing piece of social realism tackling the gig economy and zero-hours contracts with characteristic precision. The plot is meticulously constructed, escalating pressure on the Turner family with an almost unbearable inevitability that feels both deeply personal and structurally damning. The performances, particularly from Kris Hitchen and Debbie Honeywood as the parents, are naturalistic and devastatingly convincing — hallmarks of Loach's casting of non-professional actors. The cinematography is functional and unshowy, serving the kitchen-sink realism without drawing attention to itself. Novelty is solid but not exceptional — Loach is working in a well-established tradition of British social realism and the film, while urgent and timely, follows recognizable genre conventions. The ending is genuinely harrowing and refuses any sentimental resolution, leaving the audience confronting systemic failure without false hope — a bold and memorable conclusion.