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Riff-Raff (1990)

A review by Damian Cannon.
Copyright © Movie Reviews UK 1997
A film which spends most of its time focusing on a cowboy building-site may, at first glance, seem a poor prospect. This, however, neglects the fact that Ken Loach is the director, a well-regarded master of the gritty, true-to-life dramas of real people. The result of being massaged by these capable hands is a film which is humorous, probing and entertaining as it follows Stevie, a Scotchman in London. Having no money and nowhere to live Stevie turns up at a building site where old buildings are converted into luxury flats. The work is strictly cash-in-hand and on the cheap, hence most of the labourers are working under false names and claiming the dole.

Since everyone knows the score they are mostly a content bunch, although you wouldn't know it from some of the language! Stevie is quickly accepted and a few of the men offer to find him a squat, easy to do in an area full of boarded-up flats. Life on the building-site is fairly mundane, sometimes enlivened by incidents such as when one of the men decides to use the bath in the show flat. The only problem is that some prospective owners are being shown round at the same time! Life seems to improve for Stevie when he rescues a lost handbag and restores it to its owner, Susan. She is a low-grade singer with astrological interests and an uncertain future. However, they seem to be right for each other and Susan moves into Stevie's squat.

The only fly in the ointment is that Susan has an occasional drug problem. She claims that its under control, but then every addict says that and Stevie knows this. On the site a friend complains about the poor safety standards and, for his trouble, gets the sack; although, unlike in a Hollywood film, he simply walks away with no melodrama. The separation with Susan echoes this incident, leading to a feeling of impending change for Stevie. This is precipitated sooner than anyone expects, due to the lax site standards, leading to a conclusion which is both simple and complex.

Throughout Riff-Raff the dialogue is superb, convincing and earthy. By using only actors who had previously worked on a building site Loach introduces a basis of realism which underpins the film. Combining these threads produces a comedy with sharp edges, layering humour onto significant social issues without dilution of their message. Hence this is a thoroughly enjoyable movie with a welcome lack of gloss. My only note of caution is that some of the accents are too thick for easy comprehension and occasionally the site noise drowns out the dialogue altogether.

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