Ken Loach's one-dimensional liberal stance spoils this otherwise entertaining film about an illegal Mexican immigrant, Maya,who finds a job as a cleaner in an anonymous downtown LA skyscraper where her American-based sister, Rosa, already works. The film follows fiery Rosa's plight as an underpaid cleaner, her various conflicts with her sister and her eventual political awakening via the intervention of Adrien Brody's character, Sam Shapiro, a subversive Union representative. The film is a fictional reinterpretation of real life events involving the Justice for Janitors campaign against low pay for cleaners. Despite the human dramas that unfold during the film, Bread and Roses is a thinly-veiled attack on American economical injustice, especially against illegal immigrant workers. Oddly enough, Loach does not balance his Anti-American views against the lack of opportunities and poverty in Mexico. He never considers why Maya has left Mexico. Yes, she wanted to be with her sister - but was this the only reason? it's very easy to take pot shots at North America, but when it's this simplistic, one must question Mr Loach's lack of subtlety as a filmmaker. Overall, Bread and Roses works best as a human drama rather than a political one.
Review of Bread and Roses
