Screenwriter Paul Laverty won the Best Screenplay award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival .

The film was an international co-production involving the UK, Germany, and Spain. Following its release, Loach and producer Rebecca O'Brien formed their own production company, Sixteen Films .

Released in 2002, is a gritty social realist drama directed by Ken Loach and written by Paul Laverty . It is widely considered one of the most impactful Scottish films of the early 2000s, marking the magnetic debut of actor Martin Compston . Plot Overview

Liam represents a recurring trope in Scottish cinema—an adolescent forced to navigate complex familial and social realities with little support.

True to Loach’s signature style, the film offers a raw, unsentimental look at poverty, drug addiction, and the lack of opportunity in post-industrial Scotland.

It launched the career of Martin Compston , who later became a household name for his role in the BBC series Line of Duty .

Reviewers highlight how Loach juxtaposes the violence of the drug trade with "heart-stopping acts of kindness," such as Liam’s purchase of a caravan for his mother.