Loach was awarded the 1981 Young Cinema Award at Cannes for this naturalistic study of one young man’s struggle to find his way in the world set against a backdrop of Thatcherism and the Irish troubles.

Based on Barry Hines’ acclaimed novel, and made at a time when British unemployment was already reaching record levels, Looks and Smiles follows Mick, a teenager looking for work in recession-hit Sheffield. Featuring a cast of unknown leads, with hauntingly lyrical black and white cinematography of bleak industrial scenes, this gritty portrait is as important a film to watch today as it was on first release.

Sheffield Film Festival 2026

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Director Ken Loach
Year 1981
Duration 1h 44m
Language English
Cast Graham Green, Carolyn Nicholson, Tony Pitts