In 1932, after a ten-year exile in the United States, activist Jimmy Gralton returns to Ireland to help his aging mother tend to the family farm. In the face of the new government in power Jimmy reopens a public dancehall that had fallen into disrepair, bravely pushing back against the sharply drawn religious and political margins that lingered after the Civil War. The Hall becomes a gathering place for debate and dancing, though not everyone in the community is in favor of Jimmy’s initiative.

Ken Loach (Winner, Palme-d'or 2006, The Wind that Shakes the Barley) depicts a heartfelt struggle of a Leftist leader at a pivotal time in Irish history.

—Geoffrey Gilmore

Directed by

Ken Loach