Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7958 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-07-16
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Anamorphic, PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Synopsis
Using a cast of unknown actors and newcomers, Ken Loach fashions another gritty social drama in SWEET SIXTEEN. In his acting debut, Martin Crampston plays Liam, whose mother is about to be released from prison on his 16th birthday. Liam recognises that the only chance for the pair of them to escape the poverty of their surroundings is to move away from the Greenock council estate they live on. However, to realise this dream he will need to get hold of some money. Roping in his friends to help, he sets out on a series of increasingly dangerous schemes to raise cash and soon finds himself out of his depth.

Customer Reviews

an amazing film,please watch it !
I am astonished I'm the first person to post a review on this masterpiece ! I'm french an in my country, Ken Loach is admired as the great film maker he truly is. And in my point of view, this film is perhaps his best, because even if you disagree with his political view, you will be deeply moved by the principal character. Great plot, great actors, it is human, complex, beautiful and captivating. Please watch it. Vive Ken Loach.

A gritty Greenock drama
Sweet Sixteen puts the West of Scotland ned firmly onto the big screen. The film follows the trials and travails of 'Liam' (Martin Compston) as he descends from a directionless youth into a seasoned drug dealer. His motives are naively sweet - to create a better life for his dysfunctional family members, especially his mother who is soon to be released from HMP Cornton Vale.

Although hard-hitting and coarse throughout (don't watch this if you're easily offended by those elements of the English language that don't usually feature in dictionaries), Sweet Sixteen also contains much black humour and is a riveting 106 minutes.

Watching this fictional tale, you can't help feeling that, unfortunately, this movie is probably close in some respects to the day-to-day reality for some urban youth in Scotland, and that's what makes it a more profound film (where 'success' at turn of the century Scotland is defined as a part time job in a call centre, or a life of crime).

The DVD also contains 6 outakes that didn't make the final cut. One of them, when Stan's jacket is ruined with a pair of scissors, is actually a classic scene and really should have been in there.

Another 'extra' is a full 30 minute BBC Scotland documentary that followed up on the success of the movie.

Overall, a great performance by Martin Compston (who went on to appear in films such as Red Road) and a genuinely amusing urban tale.