Versus: The Life and Films of Ken Loach review – tribute to a cinematic giant

This spry, sharp-witted documentary couldn’t be more timely. An affectionate appraisal of the work of Ken Loach, and an insight into the man himself, it reaches cinemas just after his most recent feature, I, Daniel Blake, won the Palme d’Or at Cannes. It is the second time Loach has scored the top prize at the world’s most prestigious film festival and it underlines the fact that now, perhaps more than ever, we need compassionate, angry voices like his.

The making of I, Daniel Blake, which brought the 79-year-old Loach out of retirement to rail against punitive Tory austerity policies and their ramifications, forms a central component of this documentary. But the real treats here for fans are the well-chosen clips from his incendiary early work for the BBC: a glimpse of the earthy, sexy energy of Up the Junction; the heartrending rawness of Cathy Come Home.

The talking head interviews are thoughtful and insightful; the revelations about Loach’s life, including the death of his five-year-old son in a car accident, are unexpectedly moving. This is a fitting tribute to a director who has made a career out of telling the stories that most urgently need to be told.