Sweet Sixteen - Aspects of crime

'Sweet Sixteen', directed by Ken Loach (2002), is a British film about a young Scottish boy, with a tough background, who is determined to raise enough money to have a normal and happy life with his mum (Jean) once she is released from prison. He will do anything he can to get this money, even get involved with Tony's gang of dodgy drug dealers.

Is there a sense that the lack of opportunity that the characters have is what leads to their crimes?
Yes, I think so because the audience can see throughout the film that Liam does everything in his power to make his mum happy and keep her safe. Liam's stepfather, Jean's boyfriend, is an obnoxious drug pusher; this means that Liam has grown up around the drug trading business, which is maybe why he thought it was a good way to raise his money. Also, unemployment was rampant at this time, so for a 15/16 year old boy there was very little hope of finding a sound job.

Do you feel the characters have less chance of success?
Yes, because I don't remember school being mentioned once throughout the whole film, which suggests to me that he had little, or possibly no, education. This means he would have no qualifications, and therefore wouldn't have much of a chance of getting a job when he's older (especially with the state of unemployment around that time).

How is family life portrayed within this film, what impact does it have upon the characters?
I think the importance of family to Liam is 50/50. On one hand, he hates his stepdad and grandfather, he wants to get him and his mum away from them and not have anything more to do with them. But on the other hand, he loves his mum and will do anything he can to make her happy. Family values seem to be highly respected by Liam. When he takes more than one brutal beating from a gang of rivals, Chantelle (Liam's sister) nurses his wounds and helps him get better again. Liam seems to be very loving towards his nephew, and wants them both to live with him and their mum when she is released. When she finally comes home, Liam surprises her with a big welcome home party in their new posh apartment, but is devestated when she runs off in the morning to go back to her abusive boyfriend Stan - the man who is the reason that she was in prison. Stan and Liam's grandfather clearly have no respect for Liam as they swear at him, beat him up, and throw him out on the streets. When it comes to Liams best mate Pinball, it becomes clear that Liam is the closest thing to family he has when he; steals Tony's car, crashes it into his health club, burns the caravan, and then cuts his own face. I think Pinball feels Liam is slipping away from him because his main priority is to get a house and be with his mum, sister and nephew; he is accepted into the drug business and Pinball isn't - he feels he's being left alone.

How is social class explored within the film?
I thinkthe film shows Liam as being part of a lower-class family. After being kicked out of his home and onto the streets by Stan, Liam goes to live with his sister - she's the only reason he is not homeless. When we are first introduced to Liam and his best friend Pinball, we see them trying to sell cigarettes in a local pub; this displays a smug, cheeky and cheap personality, which gets them kicked out. Also, Chantelle lives on a quite run down and gritty council estate - suggesting they are lower class. Liam and Pinball hang out in a dirty disused council flat, where they go to smoke drugs. The clothes that the younger generation of people wear in this film connote the typical "chav" image (which have negative connotations).

How is crime explored within the film?
In the beginning of the film, crime almost seems as if its a joke when Liam steals a policemans helmet. However, when he begins stealing drugs, its clear that the narrative has a much more serious undertones. We begin to see the emotional, as well as physical, effects it has on him and his family/friend. Liam is beaten up because of people trying to steal his "gear", then to make matters worse, he repeatedly goes after them to get it back - getting even more wounds in the process. He even becomes part of a powerful drug dealing gang, and is willing to kill someone to be accepted by them - however, this turns out to be a joke test to see if he is up to the job. Although Liam gets into a bad business, it is clear he just wants the best for him and his family, but due to the lack of opportunity he has to make his money by selling drugs. We see an emotional side to him when he records a personal messgae for his mum in prison. This is how generations of his family have lived - they want to make a change to allow Callum (nephew) to have a better life. At the end of the film, we see Liam strangle his sister when she tries to stop him going to see their mum. This could suggest he is turning into his stepdad/gradfather.