Sweet Sixteen

Liam, living in Greenock, wants a home ready for himself and his mother by the day she gets out of prison. He is sixteen and the only way he can raise money is selling drugs. The film does not judge that decision, it just follows it. Ken Loach directed from a Paul Laverty script. Martin Compston, in the lead, was not a professional actor but a local teenager, and much of the cast was found the same way. It won Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2002 and was nominated for the Palme d'Or. The censorship story is the interesting one. The BBFC gave it an 18 certificate over the volume of swearing. Laverty called that censorship and class prejudice, since the young people who inspired the script could not legally watch their own story. In Inverclyde, where it was shot, screenings ran with a 15 certificate instead. Rotten Tomatoes has it at 97 percent and Metacritic at 86. It grossed 3.9 million dollars worldwide. Who it is for: viewers who value British social realism. Who it is not for: anyone looking for hope. Loach rescues nobody here and the ending genuinely hurts.