Let me begin by saying this is not the film I thought it was going to be. By this I mean I was expecting a few mildly delinquent children getting into a bit of trouble and it generally being quite a light film. It is not. This is hard-hitting stuff, grittier and darker than I had anticipated and that is by no means a bad thing. Neds has correctly been described as somewhere in between Trainspotting and This Is England, but with a little A Clockwork Orange thrown in. The film follows John McGill, played astoundingly by Conor McCarron, who we see as a young bright boy starting secondary school in the 1970s but he is at a disadvantage, due to his violent elder brother being in trouble with the law, and therefore teachers have preconceived notions of his abilities. John proves his teachers wrong and he manages to progress at school and makes friends with a middle class lad, Julian. However, after being stopped from seeing his new friend by Julian’s disapproving mother, John gets involved with the wrong crowd and the film becomes about street gangs and fighting. We see the anger that John feels and his downward spiral triggered by a small incident. There are some shocking and harrowing moments in this film but they did all feel necessary, never gratuitous, and as a viewer you never know where the film will take you.
This is a gripping and surprising story but there were points where I found it a little difficult to follow perhaps due to the authentic Glaswegian dialogue. There are moments of sheer stylish surrealism, notably one with a statue of Jesus coming to life, and these help the film to stand out and possibly become a cult classic. The finale is iconic and mesmerising and without giving too much away I have included a still, below, from towards the end of the film. Neds explores the elements that can lead to the possible deterioration of an intelligent and promising youth; class, family, teachers, the system, peers and the self. It is a thoroughly interesting exploration if perhaps a little too long and is beautifully shot. Peter Mullan writes, directs and stars in the film as John’s abusive alcoholic father and Neds does have an autobiographical feel to it but there is much more to this film. I urge people to go and see this film, or buy it on dvd now, as it is important films like this do not get forgotten.
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