Sean McAllister

Working For The Enemy (1997)

“Subtle, patient television bound to unsettle…” [Ian Parker, The Observer]

“Sean McAllister’s bleak, extraordinarily intimate film offers an insight into the lives of 35-year-old Kevin, who hasn’t worked in 18 years, and his 19-year-old girlfriend Robbie, who earns £70 a week as a seamstress.

“In an ideal world what would you like to do?” asks the man at the employment centre charged with the thankless task of getting Kevin back to work. “I would like to be left alone to draw,” comes the surly reply. In fact Kevin is a very talented artist, but views the notion of putting his gift into the service of others as giving in to the “system” he despises. Robbie is not so sure, and would like a little extra cash to spend. There are scenes of drunkenness, drug-taking and unpleasant arguments, but at the core of the bitterness and anger that fuels their existence is quite a touching love story.”

© Tim Pozzi, Daily Telegraph