So, so bleak but it refuses to give into the bleakness and mope. Hope springs up amongst the grimness, in particular the relationship that forms between James and Margaret Anne which is incredibly moving, that they have no one else they can really trust with their emotions and they find each other, but also so many other moments stand out; running through the field, the mouse flying through space, dancing in the flat, the journey on the bus. And the ending is just sublime.

Excellent kitchen sink realist film in the vein of early Loach, combining gritty authenticity with a creative style of editing and often minimalism. Fabulous acting from a cast that is mostly children.

Captivating like few others.

Perhaps the single most beautiful film made in the 90s. And I'm not just talking about the imagery.

Superb portrayal of family life in a Glasgow estate. The elliptical visual style captures it all from a child's perspective beautifully, reinforced hugely by the sound design. A very powerful film.

fsd

Bleak and dreary, yet somehow, likely through the use of children, Ramsey elicits compassion for and finds beauty in the people that populate this darkened world. The opening sequence is an effective bit of misdirection that makes it much easier to feel for James. And the woman who plays his mother is especially good evoking strength, stability, and softness in an understated performance.

Ramsay creates poetry out of squalor and desolation. The film is bleak, but never despairing, and for all their hardships and struggles James and his family demonstrate genuine warmth towards each other as they try to make the best of their dire situation. It's simultaneously heartwarming and heartbreaking. The nods to Killer of Sheep and Malick (dig the George Tipton piece) are obvious, to the point I wonder if George Washington isn't essentially a remake of this. Oh, and The 400 Blows as well.

A moody, slowly paced look at lower-class Scottish life, much in the same vein as Ken Loach or Mike Leigh. The guilt of young James looms over everything as much as the ubiquitous heaps of garbage, without ever being spoken of outright. Some say the ending is ambiguous, but I think it can really only be interpreted one way (the darker way). The fantasy sequence involving Kenny's mouse is a slight misstep and doesn't fit. Otherwise it's very well-done, but not really my kind of thing.

Somedays, this is the best and only film.

The film is gorgeous to watch, but Ramsay tries to keep the characters down far too much, that it becomes predictable when the characters will experience some hardship, and it just gets frustrating. Somewhat manipulative, but still worth watching just for the imagery.

Characters so close and yet so far away from each other. A subtle, little, shiny diamond.