Category Archives: Scottish

“You try to make sense of what he said, but there’s nothing there.” The Escapist didn’t sound like the sort of film I am usually interested in, but I decided to watch it due to the fact that Gillies MacKinnon … Continue reading →

“Burying you Ma is a very killable offence.” The dour, yet bitterly funny Scottish film Orphans follows the exploits of four siblings on the night before their mother’s funeral. When the film begins, the adult siblings gather around their mother’s coffin … Continue reading →

Joe Taylor (Ewan McGregor) lives and works on a coal barge with married couple Ella (Tilda Swinton) and Les Gault (Peter Mullan). This life is an odd mixture. At times, life is extremely claustrophobic–Joe has to sit and eat meals … Continue reading →

“We really don’t see much of the law down here.” The Scottish coming-of-age film Small Faces is the story of the three teenage Maclean brothers growing up in the slums of Glasgow in the late 60s. Quiet, gentle Alan attends … Continue reading →

“At least she was loved. Some people don’t get that.” The excellent Scottish thriller Red Road from director Andrea Arnold is set in modern Glasgow. The protagonist is a solitary, self-contained woman named Jackie (Kate Dickie). She works as a … Continue reading →

“You can’t fight this battle for her.” Scottish director Gillies MacKinnon has a gift when it comes to telling a story through a child’s point of view. In “Pure”, MacKinnon doesn’t sink into the lure of sentimentality, and neither does … Continue reading →