''Jimmy's Hall'' is a 2014

drama Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...

film directed by

Ken Loach Kenneth Charles Loach (born 17 June 1936) is a British film director and screenwriter. His socially critical directing style and socialist ideals are evident in his film treatment of social issues such as poverty ('' Poor Cow'', 1967), homelessn ...

. The film tells the story of the deportation to the United States in 1933 of Irish Communist Jimmy Gralton, who led the Revolutionary Workers' Group, a precursor of the Communist Party of Ireland, in Leitrim. It stars Irish actor Barry Ward, along with

Simone Kirby Simone Kirby (born 28 October 1976) is an Irish people, Irish actress. She is probably best known for playing Oonagh in the Ken Loach film ''Jimmy's Hall''. Other credits include Irene O'Donnell in ''Peaky Blinders (TV series), Peaky Blinders'' ...

, Jim Norton and

Denise Gough Denise Gough (born 28 February 1980) is an Irish actress. She is the elder sister of the actress Kelly Gough. She has worked in film, television, video games and theatre. Gough is a double Olivier Award winner. Early life Born in Ennis, Cou ...

. The title refers to a rural dance hall built by Gralton in his home town

Effrinagh Effrinagh (in ga, Ifreannach) is a townland in County Leitrim. Effrinagh is a place about five miles east of Carrick on Shannon. It remains a quiet place in spite of its proximity to the bustle and hustle of Carrick. It is dotted with lakes ...

. It was selected to compete for the

Palme d'Or The Palme d'Or (; en, Golden Palm) is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. It was introduced in 1955 by the festival's organizing committee. Previously, from 1939 to 1954, the festival's highest prize was the Grand Prix du Fe ...

in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

In 1932, after ten years of living in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

, Jimmy Gralton returns to his home in native Ireland to help his mother run the family farm. A new government is in power ten years after the end of the Irish Civil War, an act which leads to Jimmy reestablishing a community centre for young people to dance, study or talk, drawing on his experience with

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

music during his time in the US. The hall becomes popular, which arouses opposition in the town, particularly the Church in the form of Father Sheridan, who denounces the music and dancing at the hall as lewd and licentious. Jimmy and his mother, with whom he is living and who is also sympathetic to Communism, attempt to prevent an eviction of a family who are displaced from their home. Jimmy's activism brings him to the attention of the Gardaí. This starts a chain of events which ends in Jimmy's deportation from Ireland for sedition. As he holds an American passport, he is exiled back to States. During a rally protesting his expulsion, Jimmy's mother decries the lack of a fair trial.

Critical response

''Jimmy's Hall'' garnered generally positive critical reception. Review aggregation website

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

gives the film a score of 76% from 104 reviews. The site's consensus states "Benefiting from a talented cast and sensitive work from director Ken Loach, Jimmy's Hall offers period drama rich with relevant sociopolitical themes."

Metacritic Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...

, gave the film a weighted average score of 63 out of 100, based on reviews from 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Scott Foundas of

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

called it "A minor-key but eminently enjoyable work by a master craftsman."

Musical

In 2017, Dublin′s

Abbey Theatre The Abbey Theatre ( ga, Amharclann na Mainistreach), also known as the National Theatre of Ireland ( ga, Amharclann Náisiúnta na hÉireann), in Dublin, Ireland, is one of the country's leading cultural institutions. First opening to the p ...

presented a musical adaptation of the film. It returned to the Abbey in 2018 and toured nationwide.Jimmy's Hall Returns to the Abbey, RTE 27 July 2018
/ref>

References

External links

*
'Mike Leigh and Ken Loach films selected for Cannes' (BBC website)

Article from Irish Times
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jimmy's Hall 2014 films English-language French films English-language Irish films 2010s historical drama films British historical drama films Irish drama films French historical drama films Films directed by Ken Loach Films scored by George Fenton Films set in 1932 Films set in 1933 2014 drama films Sony Pictures Classics films 2010s English-language films 2010s British films 2010s French films