My Name Is Joe

Joe Kavanagh is unemployed and in recovery in Glasgow, coaching an amateur football team, when he meets Sarah, a health visitor. As the relationship starts working, Joe takes on a job to clear a debt owed by one of his players. The title comes from the introduction used at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and the film opens on exactly that line. Ken Loach directed from a Paul Laverty script, filling most of the small parts with local people from Glasgow. Peter Mullan won Best Actor at Cannes in 1998. Roger Ebert praised the screenplay for carrying the romance, the crime element and the difficulty of staying sober at the same time. Rotten Tomatoes sits at 89 percent, and the British Film Institute placed it 91st on its 1999 list of top British films. It took 253,530 pounds in the UK and 778,347 dollars worldwide. Who it is for: viewers who value Loach's social realism and character-driven drama. Who it is not for: anyone hoping for a happy ending. The film leaves Joe no exit, on purpose.