Ken Loach, a leading socialist director, has made a film that is so far from reality that it can only be described as a fairy tale. The film is by no means bad—Loach's direction of characters (a group of Glaswegian petty criminals who are sentenced to community service) and subject matter (how this group finds hope in learning about the production and culture of high-end whiskey) is masterful. But the film's plot—in which a Glasgow street punk magically becomes a more sophisticated connoisseur in a few weeks than rich men who've been in the business for decades—is pure fantasy. (CHARLES MUDEDE)