Grade: B+

Verdict: A powerful, compassionate look at the struggles of illegal immigrants working in Los Angeles.

Details: Starring Pilar Padilla and Adrien Brody. Directed by Ken Loach. Rated R for strong profanity and brief nudity. One hour, 45 minutes.

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Review: “You know my theory about uniforms?” Ruben (Alonso Chavez) asks fellow worker Maya (Pilar Padilla) on her first day on the job. “They make us invisible.”

So it seems, as Maya learns the ropes of being a member of the janitorial crew at a Los Angeles office tower. The corporate bigwigs march along with their cellphones, passing these gray-suited cleaners as obliviously as if they were the ghosts of “The Sixth Sense.”

But invisibility isn't always a terrible thing. Maya has newly arrived in the States after a harrowing, illegal border-crossing. She's one of the many Mexican arrivals with a smattering of English, and no immigration papers. In “Bread and Roses,” we watch Maya navigate a tricky path between asserting her rights and staying safely in the shadows.

This is the first U.S. film by British director Ken Loach, cinematic champion of the working class (“My Name Is Joe,” “Riff-Raff”). The change of setting hasn't weakened any of his compassion or urgency. In fact, the opening minutes of “Bread and Roses” are a study in riveting, neo-realistic terror: Maya arrives in Los Angeles, only to be held hostage by the guys who brought her over the border because her sister Rosa (Elpidia Carrillo) shows up without their full smuggling fee. The tense situation plays out in a way that shows, not for the only time, that Maya is smart, resourceful and able to get herself out of a bad squeeze.

As “Bread and Roses” unfolds, it shows the many ways illegal immigrants fall prey to economic exploitation, not least from fellow Hispanics who demand a cut of their lowly wages in exchange for giving them work in the first place. It also dramatizes the mistrust that develops among the janitorial workers when a union organizer named Sam (Adrien Brody) approaches them, trying to get them to unionize for better wages and health benefits.

As Loach, directing from a script by Paul Laverty, begins to show the workers' gathering attempts to assert their rights (with a romance stirring, a little conveniently and improbably between Maya and Sam), the film grows a little conventional, though it never loses its energy. And he coaxes warm, subtle performances from his actors.

Much of the film's success depends on Padilla, in her first film role. She's a charming, very naturalistic actor who earns our sympathy and admiration. The film's highlight comes in an emotional confrontation with her sister Rosa, in which Carrillo, who's also terrific, delivers a scorching aria of pain and rage.

“Bread and Roses” isn't a big film. It's small, and old-fashioned in its focus on the politics of class. But it's a refreshing dose of human feeling as we head into the action-crazy movies coming this summer.

— Steve Murray, Cox News Service