Sweet Sixteen

This is a phenomenal movie about a 15-year-old boy named Liam who is trapped in a culture and lifestyle of crime (in an early scene, his grandfather and his mother's boyfriend demand that he smuggle drugs to his mother in prison), when all he dreams about is creating a home for his mother, his sister, and her child. Liam is destined to repeat the same mistakes that he is fighting so hard against, and all we can do is sit back and watch him struggle with the rock-and-a-hard-place decisions with which he is faced.This may sound like your typical "good boy falls in with the wrong crowd" film, but it is far from predictable, and the story and acting are excellent. Director Ken Loach does a fantastic job with a cast that is new to the acting world (sadly, this film will be overlooked because it features no "big names"), and they portray the culture and lives of these characters quite convincingly.Highly recommended, and it is worthwhile to listen to Loach's commentary track as well.

Think about this movie and how it applies to real life situations? An abusive family, mother in jail, the kids being in foster homes. All "Liam" wanted was a fresh start for his family once his mother got out of jail without her abusive boyfriend "stan". He had to do law breaking things to get the money to provide his mother with a place to live and as you can tell once she gets out she doesn't appreciate it. This movie is a wake up call to a lot of people out there that think these types of situations only happen in movies. At the end of the movie we see what lengths he goes to to try his best to get his mother back. I will just say the ending is very emotional and is very real for a lot of kids out there with a family like that.

The son will do anything for his mom. But, his mom doesn't want saving.She is a low-life and seems to like that life.She disappoints him and he falls into despair.YOU CAN'T SAVE ANYONE THAT DOESN'T WANT SAVING.....EVEN MOMThe F word is used about a million times....so, It's no family movie.

Did you not understand the headline!

This movie has one of the most misleading descriptions (written by its American distributor?) that I have ever read. It's not a criticism of the film itself, but I just wish that film companies could be more honest in their descriptions. I suppose if they wrote an accurate synopsis of this film, then very few people would have seen it. Here's the description, verbatim, on the copy I rented:"Martin Compston, William Ruane, Annmarie Fulton and Michelle Abercromby star in this heartwarming coming-of-age film, directed by Ken Loach, about a rough-and-tough Scottish teen who wants to create a home for himself and his mother ... literally. When his mom is finally released from prison, Liam (Martin Compston) sets out to raise the money that will buy their dream house."OK, what that description doesn't tell you is that Liam raises the money by selling drugs, that there's nothing "heartwarming" about the story whatsoever (I think a better word is "chilling"), and that the movie is not a coming-of-age tale, but a cinema-verité look at the drug and underworld culture of postindustrial urban Scotland. It's not a bad film, but it's sometimes gratuitously depressing and dark. If you like really, really dark films about the seedy underbelly of life where there are no heroes and no happy endings, then this movie may be for you. But, don't go by the description, or you will definitely be disappointed.

British director Loach is a master at evoking the hardship of poverty in working-class England, and this hard-hitting drama about a Scottish teen's coming of age is no exception. Loach has an impeccable eye for talented nonactors, too, and Greenock native Compston fits the bill perfectly, portraying a witty and resourceful young drug-runner-in-the-making with convincing confidence. Ruane, as his gawky sidekick, is equally wonderful. Bleakly realistic, yet peppered with humor and a splash of hope, "Sweet Sixteen" is a sympathetic portrait of troubled adolescence.

Oh, this movie made me ache! Very well acted, well written. I've loved everything I've seen Martin Compston in, and when I saw he won 3 awards for this film and was nominated for others, I had to watch it. It's so worth your time.

Set in the Scottish town of Greenock, Sweet Sixteen delves into the life of 15 year old Liam; who like many impoverished children with sparse opportunities of hope and success, seems destined for a life of struggle.With his drug addict mother (Jean) in prison, Liam is in the custody of his step dad (Stan) and grandfather to begin with. After being beaten up by Stan and his grandfather following his refusal to give his mother drugs (at Stan's behest) during a prison visit, Liam goes to live with his older sister Chantelle and her young son.During this time, Liam, along with best friend Pinball, devise a money making scheme; Liam's objective being to save enough money to purchase a caravan for his mum once she is released from prison. His hope is that his mum will be able to stay clean from drugs and get her life back on track. He realises it is unlikely to happen whilst his mum continues to live with Stan. He is willing to do anything to ensure this dream is fulfilled - but at what cost?I'd definitely recommend this film to anyone who hasn't seen it, or for someone looking to acquire a collectors piece. It is very Scottish, so if you are not from Scotland, you may struggle with parts of the dialogue. I like the majority of Ken Loach's films but if I had to pick a favourite, it would probably be Sweet Sixteen (however, there are still a couple of his films I've still to see).

el tema de un chico con una familia disfuncional, en lo que decide hacer para sobrevivir, malo por cierto.

Ken Loach lässt in seinem 2002 gedrehten Sozialdrama "Sweet Sixteen" offen, ob seine 15jährige Hauptfigur Liam möglicherweise zum Mörder, vielleicht sogar zum zweifachen Mörder wurde. Aber manchmal sind die Lebenswege auch schon so niederdrückend vorgezeichnet und die Menschen können nur schwer davon abgehalten werden in den Abgrund zu schlittern. Gespielt wird der schottische Teenager Liam vom Youngster Martin Compston so stark, dass er dafür sogar einen BAFTA Award bekam. Umso interessanter, dass dieser junge Schauspieler sich auch als Profifußballer in Schottland einen Namen machen konnnte.Mit Handkameraaufnahmen gelang dem britischen Filmemacher der Arbeiterklasse ein fast dokumentarisch anmutendes Szenario. Sein Sozialstudie aus den heruntergekommenen Bezirken der schottischen Metropole Glasgow hat es in sich - leider kam sie 2002 ein bisschen zu spät in die Kinos, ein paar Jahre früher während des Siegeszuges des New British Cinema, wäre "Sweet Sixteen" sofort als ultimatives Meisterwerk gefeiert worden. So blieb einer der besten Filme von Ken Loach leider bis heute ein Geheimtipp.Der Regisseur zeichnet dabei ein sehr wehmütiges Bild von einer Jugend ohne große Hoffnung. Diese von der Gesellschaft benachteiligte Unterschicht hat nicht mal in der eigenen Familie einen Schutzraum - die Sehnsucht nach Geborgenheit, Zärtlichkeit und bürgerlichen Träumen treibt aber den jugendlichen Helden in schnellen Schritten in die Kriminalität. Dabei läuft er nicht nur Gefahr ein Verbrecher zu werden, er opfert dabei sogar Freundschaften und seine Unschuld.In ein paar Wochen wird Liam (Martin Compston) 16 Jahre. Gemeinsam mit seinem besten Freund Pitbull (William Ruane) hängt er jeden Tag nur noch ab. Sie sind seit Monaten nicht nur zur Schule gegangen, statdessen verkaufen sie Zigaretten zu Dumpingpreisen. Immer wieder sitzt ihnen die Polizei im Nacken bei diesen illegalen Geschäften. Liams Mom Jean (Michelle Coulter) hockt im Knast für ein Delikt, dass ihr Freund Stan (Gary McCormack) begangen hat. Stan verdient sich gemeinsam mit Rab (Tommy McKee), Liams Großvater mit Drogendeals. Bei einem Besuch im Gefängnis soll Liam Jean Drogen von Stan übergeben, die sie dann im Knast verkaufen. Doch der Junge weigert sich, weil er nicht möchte, dass seine Mom noch eine weitere Strafe aufgebrummt bekommt. Er wird daraufhin nach dem Besuch von Stan und von seinem Opa zusammengeschlagen. Seine Schwester Chantelle (Annmarie Fulton) verarztet ihn, wie sie es schon oft getan hat. Aus Rache klaut Liam gemeinsam mit Pitbull eine Lieferung von Heroin aus Opas Großvaters Haus. Mit der Kohle will er seiner Mutter, die bald entlassen wird, ein besseres Leben ermöglichen - weit entfernt vom schlechten Einfluss ihres Liebhabers. Immerhin kann eine Anzahlung auf ein Wohnwagen in einem Trailerpark mit Blick auf den malerischen Firth of Clyde, gemacht werden. Durch den Verkauf der Drogen wird der örtliche Drogenboss Tony Douglas, ein Unternehmer mit bürgerlicher Fassade, auf Liam aufmerksam. Der braucht toughe Jungs, die für ihn Subunternehmer eines Pizza-Services werden wollen. Natürlich ist die Haupteinnahmequelle der dazugehörige Drogen-Bringdienst. Er macht die Sache gut, doch Pinball ist beim Drogenboss unerwünscht. Das führt zu einem Bruch zwischen den beiden Freunden...Trotz der Unklarheit wie schwer die Verbrechen wirklich wiegen, wird dennoch klar, wohin der Filmemacher die Geschichte hinsteuert. Es ist eine beinahe Null Perspektive für den Jungen, dem in der letzten Einstellung von seiner Schwester zum 16. Geburtstag gratuliert wird. Loach hat die Hauptfigur sehr intensiv und sehr liebevoll geschildert, auch seine tiefe Sehnsucht nach einem besseren Leben. Doch es bleibt Illusion. Er merkt, dass er bei seinem Aufstieg in eine Bande zwar seine Finanzen aufbessert, aber noch viel wichtigeres verliert. Loach hat diese tragische Coming of Age Geschichte bewusst als nüchternes Verlierer-Epos geschildert.

Liam ha un solo desiderio nella sua breve vita già cosi sfortunata: riunire la famiglia.Lo desidera talmente tanto che per inseguire questo suo sogno è disposto a tutto, anche a cacciarsi in faccende più grandi di lui. Ken Loach ancora una volta ha dato voce ai diseredati, ci mostra le periferie delle metropoli inglesi dove dietro le apparenze lucciccanti esiste una realtà cruda, amara. Non esiste affluent society in queso suo film se non quella costituita dai grandi malavitosi che si possono permettere il lusso più sfrenato.( come a dire che l'epoca della Thatcher non ha certo migliorato gli standard di vita dei meno abbienti. Ha solo tentato di nasconderli). E così Liam nell'inseguire il suo sogno procede incurante verso la sciagura. E il regista lo mostra senza fronzoli ,nella sua amara realtà (a partire dall'ironia insita nel titolo"Sweet sixteen").

alles tippi— toppi 👍