In this bruising, intense and beautifully acted prison drama, a murderer unravels through flashbacks to his youth which expose the history of trauma that set him on the path to violence. Featuring a powerful central performance from Iain Glen, and Robert Carlyle’s first ever appearance on screen, David Hayman’s directorial debut is a bold, visually inventive and emotionally intelligent portrait of a troubled mind.
EIFF honours the life and legacy of the film’s producer Paddy Higson who passed away earlier this year with this 35th anniversary screening of a searing underground Scottish classic and winner of the inaugural Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature at Edinburgh International Film Festival in 1990.
– Emma Boa