Outstanding social drama from director Peter Mullan, about a child growing up in Glasgow during the seventies.
John McGill (Conor McCarron), is an intelligent young student, one who dreams of making something of his life, and transcending the banal world he currently inhabits. Unfortunately for him, he was born into a lower class family, with an abusive alcoholic father (Mullan), a loving, but largely ineffectual, mother, and an older brother who has a wide reputation for thuggery and violence.
John faces some harsh realities as he attempts to make his way through secondary school, in particular the path he will take when peer pressure pushes him towards gang culture.
A brutal and powerful film, Mullan has taken a coming-of-age story, and placed it into this bleak Scottish housing estate, where kids attack their rivals with stones, bottles, and knives, and even the teachers have all but given up on them. John’s prospects seem to shrink as he discovers more about the world around him, and learns that in order to survive this cruel fate, he must make decisions (regardless of their morality or outcome).
The film is compelling throughout, with some tense and harsh fight scenes, that reflect a lot of the anxiety of youth. Music is well chosen, representing the era with some great tunes of the time.
Depending on your preference, Neds could be the best/worse film you watch all year. It will probably not elicit much sympathy from you, but may make you think about the themes and ideas for days after. A great film to arouse discussions about social dysfunction, and how it reflects on our own society’s problems.
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