From left, Jasmin Riggins, Paul Brannigan, Gary Maitland, and William Ruane (Sundance Selects)

The Angel’s Share reunites Ken Loach with his longtime collaborator, Scottish screenwriter Paul Laverty, for their 10th film, a comedy drama about a group of unemployed young offenders struggling to get by.

On trial for a violent assault, Robbie (Paul Brannigan) is spared prison but sentenced to community reparation because he’s about to become a father—he swears to his girlfriend Leonie (Siobhan Reilly) that he will never hurt another person again. On Robbie’s first day of service, he repaints a Glasgow community center with a motley crew of reprobates when Leonie goes into labor. His sympathetic supervisor, Harry (John Henshaw), rushes Robbie to the hospital, but after they enter the delivery ward, Leonie’s family frog-march Robbie out. Harry watches helplessly while Robbie is beaten up in the stairwell, branded a “waste of space,” and warned to stay away from his baby. Harry takes Robbie home to clean him up. Cracking open his finest whiskey to toast Robbie’s newborn son, liquor connoisseur Harry cements their friendship and Robbie discovers his taste for Scotland’s finest.

Open-hearted Harry organizes a trip to a whisky distillery for Robbie and the rest of his charges, including kleptomaniac Mo (Jasmin Riggins), petty vandal Rhino (William Ruane), and idiotic Albert (Gary Maitland), who is gifted some incredulous comic lines. Intrigued by the “angels’ share,” the two percent of the aging spirit that evaporates from a cask each year, Robbie develops his “nose” under Harry’s pupillage, and impresses the experts at a blind tasting.

Desperate to provide for his family, cautioned by Leonie’s father to leave Glasgow, and stalked by his vengeful nemesis, Robbie’s needs a way out. When an isolated auction of an incredibly valuable and rare case of whisky is publicized, charismatic Robbie ropes his fellow rogues into helping him get his share.

Tonally similar to Looking for Eric (2009) and Sweet Sixteen (2002), both also written by Laverty, the script combines Loach’s trademark social realism with the Ealing comedy tradition in a film of two halves. The first is a believable portrait of an explosive, young man written off by all around him, trapped in a violent feud, and made to face the consequences of his random, drug fueled violent act that landed him to court. In an awkward shift, the second is delineated by the pop song “I’m Gonna Be (500 Miles),” a cliché performed by Scotland’s most famous kitsch export, the Proclaimers, played as the ill-assorted crew journey to the Highlands dressed in traditional kilts for their unconventional heist. The film transforms from social commentary into a carefree, victimless crime caper that stretches plausibility.

Loach directs a professional and non-professional cast with great success and assistance from Laverty, who met Paul Brannigan while researching the script and invited him to audition for the lead. While Brannigan had no prior acting experience, he shared many life experiences with Robbie; a new father looking for a fresh start after a prison sentence. His compelling and nuanced performance has won him acclaim and awards, catapulting his career. In 2013 he can be seen in Jonathan Glazer’s sci-fi Under the Skin alongside Scarlett Johansson and in Dexter Fletcher’s Sunshine on Leith. Cinematographer Robbie Ryan, whose previous credits include Andrea Arnold’s kinetic Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights, beautifully captures the grit of Glasgow, and contrasts it with the majesty of the Highlands with his kinetic long lens.

Loach mixes social commentary with a blithe spirit to offer a warm, affectionate, and uncynical insight into the struggles of the young and unemployed so often demonized in Britain’s current political climate. A charming scene, a tour of the distillery, embodies Loach’s approach, obviously allowing the cast to improvise—their relationships and humor are genuinely affecting. His paternal compassion makes any implausibility forgivable.