Neds

It's shown in the opening of Peter Mullan's "Neds" that the title is an abbreviation of "Non-Educated Delinquents." This is an appropriate elongation of the name, what with most of the characters contained within the film being drooling, witless twits. However, I could easily contribute another suitable abbreviation, one that sums up the experience that is the Scottish drama: "Never-Ending Delight."

Now, don't get me wrong, "Neds" is not a delight in the simplest form of the word -- it's not all happy-go-lucky joyfulness with rays of sunshine descending from the heavens above. No, "Neds" is harsh, it's bleak, it's violent, and it's rough. "Neds" is a delight because of how truly evocative it is, how flawless in execution it is, and how it depicts a time and a place to spot-on perfection.

This setting is 1970s Glasgow, a time in which brown leather jackets were a must-have and children were having their ten trembling pointers whipped mercilessly by frustrated teachers. The streets of the area were dangerous, the threat of adolescent, knife-wielding gangs lurking in alleyways an ever-present hazard. In this part of the world, the words "fuck" and "cunt" are necessary parts of everyday vocabulary. That's Scotland for you.

It's 1972, and John McGill (young red-head Gregg Forrest) has just finished primary school and is going on to secondary school. He's a smart wee lad with expectations gleefully thrust upon him without force, his instantly recognisable bookworm status singling him out as an easy target for, shall we say, lesser able students.

His older brother Benny (Joe Szula) is a known hoodlum, his teacher-assaulting reputation casting a dark shadow over John's clear-as-day brightness, causing the hair-combed brain-box to be positioned in an inferior class. He's not happy with this.

John is revealed to his teacher to be a top-mark student, getting 100% on his first test, and so is moved into the higher class next door. Cut to some years later, and John (now played by the excellent Conor McCarron) is still a smarty-pants know-it-all and a teacher's pet. Well, lah-di-dah.

From here, the film charts John's sudden plummet into gormless delinquency as he falls in with the wrong crowd, his behaviour worsening and his life descending into a world of ultra violence. Once an intellectually-minded schoolboy, he becomes what he promised his headmaster he never would be: his brother.

Mullan's picture (this being his third, following "Orphans" and the wonderful "The Magdalene Sisters") has a grim sense of realism about it. As we watch a child's vast potential float away into a sea of blood and broken bones, the film becomes almost depressing, yet thematically rewarding.

Comparisons to the works of Ken Loach ("Kes," "My Name is Joe") and Mike Leigh ("Another Year," "All or Nothing") are unavoidable, a kitchen sink drama quality encapsulating the film's proceedings. "Neds" is raw and unyielding as it tackles brutality and gang-taunting intensity, this balanced by tantalising use of lighthearted humour.

Writer-director Mullan films the violence from a distance, letting us simply observe the unfolding frenzy of blade-slashing and paving-slab-thumping. The Scottish-born filmmaker (who has a supporting role as John's drunken, abusive and highly intimidating father) feeds the film with his own experiences of gang-related escapades, the feature feeling fresh, personal, and authentic in its depiction of youth gone wrong.

The cast, consisting almost entirely of unknowns, is magnificent, all playing strong personalities who just bounce off one another. Our leading man convinces in both the role of a "swot" and a mindless thug who partakes in relentless savagery, his performance heartbreaking when everything goes tits up for his character. The supporting cast is equally fantastic, from Stephen McCole as the child-beating Mr McLeod; to John Joe Hay as Fergie, an adolescent who makes sure to implant the C word into each and every sentence he utters.

"Neds" is a powerful and enriching film from the land of the Scots. Mostly jaw-dropping in its fierceness and occasionally hilarious sense of humour, it's a harsh and provocative slice of real life that intrigues right from the opening titles up until the touching ending. Gonnae no miss this.

10/10