An evocatie, revealing and great film. Of course coal mining is a hard and dangerous life but this hardness and the strength of the miners and their families seemed to, in themselves, create such strong, cohesive communities. The way that the film depicts the destruction of such a community in the name of economic 'liberalism' is heartbreaking. The music is superb, as is Pete Postlethwaite's performance. I agree with Mauvepink on her point that Brass Band music is a deeply engrained part of our culture and, as such, is folk music.