For a man now in his 80s, director Ken Loach shows no sign of letting up. His films remain at a remarkably high standard and his rage at the treatment of working people remains undimmed. ‘Sorry We Missed You’ can be seen a companion piece to his previous film, ‘I, Daniel Blake’ as it similarly shows how the harsh realities of the modern economy can destroy lives.

Ricky Turner (Kris Hitchen) lost his job in the building trade following the financial crash of 2008. Since then he has struggled to find a worthwhile job, but when he is given the chance to work for a parcel delivery firm, it seems his fortunes have changed. Instead, his financial woes increase as the firm’s working practices take their toll. Faced with fines equating to more than he is earning, Ricky is forced to work longer and longer hours. That puts an incredible strain on his family life. His wife Abbie (Debbie Honeywood), a carer on a zero hours contract, has to try to make her appointments by travelling on a bus because her car was sold to pay for Rickie’s van. Their son, Seb, starts to go off the rails as he bunks off school and gets involved in petty crime. Their bright but sensitive daughter, Lisa Jane, is on the verge of a breakdown.

That sounds like pretty grim stuff, and I defy anyone not to shed a tear at least once during the running time of the film. Loach and his regular screenwriter Laverty used the same technique of interviewing people who have real life experiences in this working sector when creating the story as they did with ‘I, Daniel Blake’. So, it is easy to make comparisons. The performances are similarly raw and a little uneven. Honeywood and Hitchen are excellent but Rhys Stone as Seb is found a little wanting at times. Also, Ross Brewster plays Ricky’s hard-headed boss brilliantly well. Overall, the lack of polish just adds to the realism.

‘Sorry We Missed You’ lacks a single devastating scene like the one in the food bank in ‘I, Daniel Blake’, but it had a more cumulative effect on me. The ending is less dramatic but works superbly.

Rating: 9.5 out of 10

Ken Loach’s best 10 films:

10. Riff-Raff (1991)
9. Angel’s Share (2012)
8. My Name is Joe (1998)
7. Sweet Sixteen (2002)
6. Sorry We Missed You (2019)
5. Land and Freedom (1995)
4. I, Daniel Blake (2016)
3. Kes (1969)
2. Hidden Agenda (1990)
1. Raining Stones (1993)