Lad: A Yorkshire Story

Gr 9 Up—Young Tom Proctor (Bretten Lord) lives in the beautiful but economically depressed Yorkshire Dales with his mum, dad, and beloved older brother. When his father dies unexpectedly and his brother joins the army, Tom begins to act out. Skipping school leads to vandalism, which results in a rather humorous but illegal act against the bank that has denied his mother an extension on the mortgage. As part of his punishment, Tom is sentenced to assist the local park ranger with making repairs to land holdings, helping animals, and the like. Initially hostile, Tom grows to admire the quiet wisdom of Al (Alan Gibson), the wise and patient ranger who knows how to handle skittish creatures, animal and human. They build a genuinely caring relationship that leads Tom to commit a selfless act to help his overwhelmed mother find a better job—then disaster strikes again. The photography of the gorgeous scenery is superb. Yorkshire accents are quite thick and will be difficult for some to understand; there are no subtitles, which would have been useful. Still, this feature film is suitable for most public collections. Note, though, that there is a fair amount of cursing and the park ranger smokes throughout.