James Gillespie is 12 years old. The world he knew is changing. Haunted by a secret, he has become a stranger in his own family. He is drawn to the canal where he creates a world of his own. He finds an awkward tenderness with Margaret Anne, a vulnerable 14 year old expressing a need for love in all the wrong ways, and befriends Kenny, who possesses an unusual innocence in spite of the harsh surroundings.

William Eadie
as James

Tommy Flanagan
as Da

Mandy Matthews
as Ma

Michelle Stewart
as Ellen

Lynne Ramsay Jr.
as Anne Marie

Leanne Mullen
as Margaret Anne

John Miller
as Kenny

Jackie Quinn
as Mrs Quinn

James Ramsay
as Mr Quinn

Anne McLean
as Mrs Fowler
CinemaSerf
It was quite odd watching this because I was just a little younger than the character of "James" (William Eadie) living in Glasgow in the 1970s. I remember the nine-week long dustmen strike that left tons of rubbish piled up all over the place. We lived in a mouse-infested one bed flat similar to th...