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Sweet Sixteen

Germany, Spain, United Kingdom

2002

106 Min
Color
1.85:1
English
  • Currently 3.7/5 Stars.
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DIR Ken Loach

PROD Rebecca O'Brien

SCR Paul Laverty

DP Barry Ackroyd

CAST Martin Compston, William Ruane, Annmarie Fulton, Michelle Abercromby, Michelle Coulter, Gary McCormack, Tommy McKee, Calum McAlees

ED Jonathan Morris

PROD DES Martin Johnson

MUSIC George Fenton

Cannes (In Competition): Best Screenplay, Toronto (Masters), AFI FEST (European Showcase), Tribeca (Showcase)

Synopsis

In the shipyard town of Greenock, Liam is a typical teenager, in some ways, causing trouble and absorbing everything which goes on around him like a sponge. He has already has his fair share of troubles however, his mother is unjustly in prison, with a drug dealing boyfriend awaiting her release. Liam dreams of taking his mother away from all the problems in their life and starting afresh in a caravan park in the quiet village of West Kilbride. This means Liam must find a way to get money quick to fund the caravan, which leads him into all sorts of problems with the law, and makes him all sorts of new enemies, who are looking for any way to punish him. –IMDb

Director

Original

Ken Loach

Unlike virtually all his contemporaries, Ken Loach has never succumbed to the siren call of Hollywood, and it’s virtually impossible to imagine his particular brand of British socialist realism translating well to that context. After studying law at St. Peter’s College, Oxford, he branched out into the theater, performing with a touring repertory company. This led to television, where in alliance with producer ‘Tony Garnett’ he produced a series of docudramas, most notably the devastating “Cathy Come Home” episode of “The Wednesday Play” (1964), whose impact was so massive that it led directly to a change in the homeless laws. He made his feature debut Poor Cow (1967) the following year, and with “Kes”, he produced what is now acclaimed as one of the finest films ever made in Britain. However, the following two decades saw his career in the doldrums with his films poorly distributed (despite the obvious quality of work such as The Gamekeeper (1968) (TV) and Looks and Smiles (1981… read more

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Displaying 4 of 8 wall posts.
Picture of Justin Oakey

Justin Oakey

1Feb13

As expected, Ken Loach crafts a realistic portrait of a lower class teenager struggling to have a normal life with his mother once she's released from prison, but is instead tied up with crime and violence. Compston was fantastic energy to be discovered, and the supporting performances were gritty and realistic. The last moments of the film sting and the bitter irony of the film's title really settles in.

Picture of galuh indri

galuh indri

20Nov12

"Al Capone..."

Picture of Cbarky99

Cbarky99

17Nov12

A boy's best friend is his mother.

Picture of Mathias Palmberg

Mathias Palmberg

17Oct12

Loach delivers again. Sure, we might have seen this story before, but the actors and direction keeps the film elevated throughout. Special mention to Compston who is extraordinary in this.

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