Teenage Liam lives in the industrial hub of Glasgow and he can’t wait for his birthday to arrive, when his mother is due for release from prison. She’s serving time for pushing drugs, a crime actually committed by her dealer boyfriend. Despite Liam’s best intentions, in his efforts to make some fast money so he and his mum can start a new life, he gets into bad ways himself. It doesn’t take him long to realise that he’s even capable of killing his mate if that’s what his drug boss wants. An increasingly more sinister chasm opens up beneath his feet and, instead of fulfilling his dream of an idyllic home, his ultimate destiny is to plunge to the very depths. Here the director reinforces his lasting interest in the destinies of people from deprived social backgrounds who wrestle with poverty and seek a way out through a life of crime. The spontaneous performance of a nonprofessional actor in the lead role lends the film a good dose of authenticity and helped it win a string of important awards.