By Chlotrudis Independent Film Society
Rating: 4 cats
Director: Ken Loach
Starring: Annmarie Fulton | Martin Compston | William Ruane
Country: germany, spain, united_kingdom
Year: 2003
Running time: 106
IMDB: http://us.imdb.com/title/tt0313670/combined
Michael says: “British filmmaker Ken Loach released two films in 2003, both woefully underseen. I hope to catch up with THE
NAVIGATORS later this weekend, but I caught his more recent film SWEET SIXTEEN, on DVD this morning.
“Loach’s usual subjects, working class Britain, and the difficulties of youth, are here in force. Liam is a tough scrapper, with a good heart. His mother is in prison, due to be released in a few months the day before he turns sixteen. With his friend Pinball, he sells cheap cigarettes to make money, but with the dream of providing a good home for his mom after her release, he sets his sights higher and starts dealing drugs. Needless to say, things don’t turn out well, but not, perhaps, in the way we might expect.
“It’s a hard-hitting story, and Liam’s innocence slips away slowly, as he hides his deeds with good intentions. When he finally relinquishes his innocence we almost don’t notice, so earnestly does he pursue the dream of his future. There are some solid performances here, Martin Compston’s Liam, and Annmarie Fulton who plays his hard-working sister Chantelle. Thankfully, the DVD provides English subtitles, as the thick Scottish accents are fairly indecipherable.” 4 cats