James' family lives in a poor neighborhood of Glasgow in the late 1970s. While they wait for relocation to a nicer part of town, James makes do with playing by the canal with Margaret Anne and Kenny. Margaret Anne is older, and willing to sleep with the local boys for a bit of affection, while Kenny loves animals, but is slow-witted. As the garbage piles up during a prolonged strike by the garbage collectors, James dreams of a better life and tries to escape the realities of his family and personal tragedies. As his family's dream of moving to a new home slowly fades, James also finds himself increasingly estranged from his loved ones and surroundings. The only place where he can find any solace is in a half-constructed housing subdivision in the pastoral suburbs--a bus journey away--for it is here where James feels he truly belongs.
Production Arts Council of England [gb](in association with) (as the Arts Council of England); BBC Films [gb](present); Canal+ [fr](in association with) (as Le Studio Canal+); Holy Cow Films(as a Holy Cow Films production); Les Productions Lazennec [fr](in association with) (as Lazennec); Pathé Pictures International [gb](present) (as Pathé Pictures);
Cast Names William Eadie; Tommy Flanagan; Mandy Matthews; Michelle Stewart; Lynne Ramsay Jr.; Leanne Mullen; John (XIV) Miller; Jackie Quinn; James Ramsay; Anne McLean; Craig Bonar; Andrew McKenna; James Montgomery; Thomas McTaggart; Stuart Gordon; Stephen Sloan; Molly Innes; Stephen King; John Comerford; Ann Marie Lafferty; Bessie McDonald; Leanne Jenkins; Dougie Jones; Joe McCrone; James Watson; Stephen Purdon; Marion Connell; Robert Farrell; Donnie McMillan; Lisa Taylor; Rory McCann; Chris McElhill; Mick Mcharg;