The story of lower middle class parents struggling to deal with their rebellious daughter, Family Life takes on perceptions and the treatment of mental illness and is written by David Mercer, who had provided the script for Karel Reisz’ Morgan – A Suitable Case for Treatment (1966).

Loach’s films frequently feature characters trapped by their circumstances, and while there is a sense of outrage about what the teenage girl (portrayed by Sandy Ratcliff) is forced to endure, there is some sympathy for her guileless parents (Bill Dean and Grace Cave), who seem to genuinely believe the mantra by which they justify their actions, insisting to their daughter that they are “only for your own good.”

This film is screening as part of Ken Loach (Part One), May 3rd – 28th. Loach’s latest film, Jimmy’s Hall, opens at the IFI on May 30th.