Watched The Wind that Shakes the Barley last night, really liked it. It perhaps isn't as good as it could be - a couple of cliched dialogues and the acting is a bit off in places (though that could be expected, Loach only hires actors that are actually from the setting of the movie, and thus doesn't often hire recognized ones) - but really strong for the most part, and the content (and contradictions) is very interesting as well. Recommended.
Well, yes. I think the film is a slow burner in the truest sense of the term; it doesn't smack the message in your face - or at least that's how I felt. I feel that I was conveyed the overall theme bit by bit.