Riff-Raff

Stevie finishes a stint in a Scottish prison and heads south to a crowded London building site where the work is brutal and the rules feel arbitrary. Hire comes with a price, as many men work under false identities to dodge immigration checks and keep claiming unemployment benefits without letting the system know their true status. A handful of colleagues pitch in to help Stevie find a place to live, so the pair end up squatting in a cramped council flat. There he encounters Susan, an Irish singer striving to break into professional music while the world around him stays stubbornly hostile. The setting also highlights rough camaraderie that keeps hope alive under pressure. The tensions feel lived and urgent.

Directed by Ken Loach, Riff-Raff stems from an original screenplay by Bill Jesse and arrived in 1991 as part of Loach's ongoing map of working-class life in Britain. It breathed the same street-level approach that marks his other collaborations too.

Despite its modest footprint, the film found an audience in art-house circuits and among fans of Loach's social realism, grossing about $295,444 worldwide. The number signals a limited release rather than a blockbuster reach, yet it remains a calling card.

It sits within Ken Loach's long-running examination of welfare state precarity and immigrant labor, foregrounding a diverse crew who move between sites, squats, and precarious housing. The film helped spotlight how status and bureaucracy shape daily life in early 90s Britain and sparked discussion about workers' rights.

Critical reception framed it as a solid social realism piece that emphasizes character over sensational plot turns. Viewers encounter themes such as class dynamics, migration, and the fragility of housing and benefits, all handled with restraint and honesty. The story leaves room for empathy and solidarity among ordinary people.