Analysis of the Film 'Sweet Sixteen'

‘Sweet Sixteen’ is a drama film directed by Ken Loach. It is set in Scotland, the film tells the story of a boy (teenager) from a very troubled background, Liam, who dreams to have a fresh start with his mother as soon as she has completed her prison term. The film is often shown with subtitles because, as with many of Loach's films, the dialogue is extensively in a local dialect, in this case the Inverclyde variant of Glaswegian (itself a mix of Scottish English and Scots with Irish and Highland influences) (Brown, 2011). This is a moving portrait of a young man`s struggle to fin a place for his mom and him, in a community affected by poverty, drugs and crime.

Historical and Cultural Context

The film offers a bleak window into the life of many young people in the United Kingdom. At the time of the film´s making, there were 11,000 children in care, and over 100,000 documented as living with domestic violence. 75% of children in care in Scotland do not leave school with any qualifications, and only 1% attend university. The Inverclyde community that is the film´s setting is one that was decimated by the end of traditional industries in the United Kingdom during the ‘Thatcher’ year (1980). Since 1981 over 6,000 people lost their jobs. Though there are some jobs available in call-centers (where Chantelle is working) (Crowee, 2005) It is notable that there are no middle-class characters through the film. This creates the impression that Liam is alone in the world, his admirable self-sufficiency is a necessity for survival.

Film Movement and Director

‘Sweet Sixteen’ was controversially awarded an 18 certificate by the BBFC, for bad language. Loach and Laverty attacked the decision in the press, accusing the BBFC of ‘class censorship’. Ken Loach is known as the prime exponent of British ‘social realist’ cinema. This is a genre movement that shows the ordinary lives of marginalized people, or those often not portrayed in mainstream (middle class) media. Many consider him a political filmmaker who uses his characters to voice Marxist opinions about the way the working or underclass are victimized by the very social systems that are supposed to help them. Others consider him a ‘humanist’ director, whose main concern is to authentically portray people’s lives in a way that challenges stereotypes. Though characters in films like ‘Bread and Roses’ (2000), ‘Land and Freedom’ (1995) and ‘I, Daniel Blake’ (2016) give clear political speeches, in ‘Sweet Sixteen’ both Loach and his screenwriter Paul Laverty aimed to create something more intimate. The cast in this movie is: Martin Compston as Liam, Annmarie Fulton as Chantelle, William Ruane as Pinball, Junior Walker as Nighttime.

Synopsis

In Greenock, Liam and Pinball, two teenagers from the streets, sell cigarettes in a local pub. With his granddad, Rab, and stepfather, Stan, Liam visits his heroin-addicted mum, Jean, in prison after taking the rap for Stans' drug-dealing. Knowing they will be searched, Stan instructs Liam to hide Jean's drugs in his mouth. In the visiting room, Liam refuses to hand over the drugs, to the annoyance of his family. Outside, Stan assaults him. Returning home, Liam discovers his possessions have been thrown out into the garden, and he is ejected from the family house. Accompanied by his friend Pinball, the two lads visit Liam's sister Chantelle and her young son. She offers to let him stay with her. On a day with Pinball, Liam notices a caravan by the estuary, and begins to dream of a future there with his mum when she is released from prison. Liam sees Stan hiding his drug stash in a garden, and decides to steal it. That night, the boys proceed to sell it on the streets. Eventually, they have enough cash to put down a deposit and first installment on the caravan. Liam visits his mum again in prison, informing her of his plans when she is released, on his sixteenth birthday. He shows her photos of the caravan he has bought and registered in her name. On the streets, Liam is attacked by a group of rival dealers; Chantelle nurses his wounds. Liam and Pinball are kidnapped on the street and taken to meet Tony, the gang leader who controls the drug trade in the area. Liam is later provided an opportunity to initiate himself into the criminal organization, by committing murder. Although he is not obliged to go through with the act, Liam shows enough 'bottle' to please Tony. Liam and Chantelle, looking forward to a picnic in the caravan, arrive to discover it has been burned down. Suspecting Stan, Liam smashes a window of his house. Jealous of Liam's new underworld connections, Pinball steals Tony's car and ram raids his health club. Tony offers Liam employment as a drug runner and a modern apartment if he deals with Pinball. Pinball tells Liam it was he who burnt down the caravan and, as an act of self-punishment, proceeds to cut his own face with a penknife. Liam works as part of a team, delivering drugs and using Tony's pizza delivery company as a front. Liam greets his mum as she is released from rehabilitation, taking her to view the modern apartment he has been given by Tony. The morning after a welcome home party, Liam is woken up to discover that his mum has gone. He finds her at Stan's house.

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Mise-en-Scene and Editing

The beginning to the film shows different areas of the Scottish town at different times of the day. However, it shows all these realistically, with the first setting in low key lighting and the second setting depicted in natural light. This all helps to draw in the audience for the film, as it offers the audience a realistic interpretation of life in the small Scottish town of Greenock. The intro to the film starts with a low-key lighting offering the audience an eyewitness account. By making the lighting low key the audience are only shown part of the protagonist Liam as half of his face is in shadow. This suggests and foreshadows the two-sided nature to Liam’s character and offers the audience an insight in to the struggle that Liam is to face because of his conflicting emotions. The camera pans around the group showing the individuals of young children and teens also helps to show Liam’s innocence and youth and again helps to foreshadow how events will play out later in the film as we are made aware of his naivety. However, the use of the stars and planets helps to offer a metaphor or symbol to the audience showing his ambitions, escape and will to be free, showing how he wishes to leave his present environment and enter in to his own or create his own. The blurring of the focus helps to show how this is unclear and untrue at present, but how it is a prominent thought and idea at the beginning of the film. In common with other social realist films, the editing techniques are mostly match-on-action or shot/reverse-shot for conversations. This creates a naturalistic tone and the feeling that what we are seeing is ‘real’, almost like a documentary.

Costume

The use of hats and tracksuits helps to show the class of the boys (Liam and Pinball) and their status. The baseball hats show the audience the age of the boys as they are proud of fashion, but they are in an outfit which can be worn all the time showing that they are not from a wealthy background. The clothes also establish the economic climate due to the way the clothes are quite well used, so showing that they make use of what they have. Ken Loach also made the regional identity’s clear by using Scottish actors, by doing this the film was more realistic as they understood the world that they were representing and so helps to add to the realism that is so important in the genre. I feel that some audiences would be drawn to the film as although they cannot relate to the setting of the film they could relate to the themes and issues of the film, as the film is about economic downturn and how it effects society. We know that these issues are widely watched as before sweet sixteen a number of other films were brought out with a similar theme.

Sound

The use of music through the film helps to add to the atmosphere and contrast of the two environments. In the first part of it, the film is introduced with no music, helping to show the calm and tranquillity of where they are, as we then see the planet the music begins with a high-pitched wood wind instrument. However, the use of a low bass underneath offers a sinister tone and so foreshadows the problems that Liam will face later on. This then changes as we enter the pub scene as the drums and techno sounds begin to dominate and so offer more pace and disjointedness to the scene, helping to show how the boys are not meant to be in the surroundings that they are in, as the music does not fit a regular beat.

Conclusion

Do I recommend this film? Of course, I do, because it not only demonstrates a different culture and way of leaving in that era. It also shows how a young man does everything he can, including selling drugs and almost killing people, to survive. This film shows how Liam is the bravest through all the film. It is clear that this movie is a drama film, which states that a family can abandon you. That no matter what you do to keep your life balanced, there will be someone that is going to break that thread your life is in. Ken Loach did an excellent job by showing the audience the social issues in that country. Nevertheless, he also did a great job by making the audience feel what Liam was feeling in that moment.

Bibliography

1. Anon. Retrieved 11 August 2019, from http://resource.download.wjec.co.uk.s3.amazonaws.com/vtc/2016-17/16-17_1-19/_eng/sweet-sixteen.pdf
2. F&B2002: Sweet Sixteen. (2015). Retrieved 11 August 2019, from https://lars.ingebrigtsen.no/2015/04/09/fb2002-sweet-sixteen/
3. Kurt, P. (2018). Sweet Sixteen (2002). Retrieved 11 August 2019, from https://www.filmaffinity.com/ec/film528258.html
4. Textual Analysis for Sweet Sixteen. (2011). Retrieved 11 August 2019, from http://beckybrownasmedia2.blogspot.com/p/textual-analysis-for-sweet-sixteen.html