''Neds'' (also known as ''Non-Educated Delinquents'', stylised as ''NEDS'') is a 2010

coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can ...

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

directed and written by

Peter Mullan Peter Mullan (; born 2 November 1959) is a Scottish actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his role in Ken Loach's ''My Name Is Joe'' (1998), for which he won Best Actor Award at 1998 Cannes Film Festival, 2000's '' The Claim'' and all th ...

. Set in

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, the film centres on John McGill (Conor McCarron), a teenager growing up in 1970s

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. John's story follows his involvement with the city's youth culture and its impact on his development as a teenager. The title is from the word Ned which is a derogatory term applied in Scotland to

hooligans Hooliganism is disruptive or unlawful behavior such as rioting, bullying and vandalism, usually in connection with crowds at sporting events. Etymology There are several theories regarding the origin of the word ''hooliganism,'' which is a ...

, louts or

petty criminal A misdemeanor (American English, spelled misdemeanour elsewhere) is any "lesser" criminal act in some common law legal systems. Misdemeanors are generally punished less severely than more serious felonies, but theoretically more so than adm ...

s. The film has received critical acclaim.

Plot

''Neds'' follows the story of John McGill, a young boy growing up in 1970s

. While a brilliant student who excels in his studies at school, his studious nature causes conflicts with his working-class family and the wider, gang-riddled neighbourhood. John's immediate family consists of his mother, a part-time hospital worker; his father, an abusive, alcoholic, tool-maker; and his older brother, Benny, leader of a neighbourhood gang called the Young Car-D. On a visit from New York, his Auntie Beth encourages John to leave

when he is older to pursue opportunities there. The film opens with a leaving ceremony marking John's transition from primary to secondary school. On his final day, John is accosted by Canta, a local bully and member of the Hardridge Parka Gang, who intimidates him, threatening to beat him up when he moves to secondary school. John relays the details of the encounter to his brother who enlists the help of his fellow gang members to track down and assault Canta as punishment. Once John begins secondary school, apart from not being in the top class, everything goes well. Informed by the headmaster that he will be moved up to the appropriate level by Christmas time by proving he is different to his brother, who assaulted two teachers and was expelled, he successfully progresses. However, he finds himself socially isolated and his teacher advises him to attend a summer camp for children with disabilities. There, he becomes friendly with a middle class boy called Julian. One day he accidentally breaks one of Julian's father's LP records and is forbidden from seeing Julian again. While walking home, a group of Young Car-D gang members threaten to mug him until they realize whose brother he is. They stop harassing him, ask him to join them and offer John vodka and cigarettes which he accepts, marking the start of his downward spiral. When the school year recommences, John has changed his ways for the worse: drawing

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

on desks, being impolite to teachers and smoking cigarettes in the toilets at break time. At one point he is caught up in a fight between two gangs and obtains a knife which has been kicked under the door of the toilet cubicle in which he is hiding. In revenge for the rejection by Julian's family, John throws a pair of football boots full of fireworks through the dining room window while they are eating. He then visits a social club, where members of the Car-D gang eject two members of rival gang The Krew. Returning, they hurl a bicycle through the function room window, urging the Car-D to give chase up to the edge of their territory where they escape via a walkway. John gives chase, running into an ambush and is in turn chased by The Krew and pursued by their leader. Escaping by pushing his way into an Irish woman's home, John evades the rival gang. It emerges later that she is the mother of the boy who hurled the bicycle. John becomes more deeply involved in gang feuds taking place between 1972 and 1974. He slits a boy's throat in a gang fight and hides the blade. On a walk with Claire, one of the girls from the gang, John spots his one-time tormentor Canta, now an isolated and slightly pathetic character. John confronts him about the bullying incident years earlier, and agrees to move past it, but Canta makes a snide remark as he turns away. Enraged, John first knocks him to the floor, then drops a stone slab on his head, causing permanent brain damage. Returning home he finds that the police are there and hides from them. Upon their departure, John learns that his brother has been arrested as a suspect in the stabbing. The next day he finds that his brother's bail has been set at £15 by the Sheriff court. He robs a bus driver at knife point to raise the money, but fails to pay the sum in time. John becomes increasingly confrontational, throwing a glass bottle at a passing police officer, as he hangs out with the Young Car-D in a park, which results in them ostracizing him for attracting police attention. His father is drunkenly abusive to his mother so John later beats him about the head with a frying pan. His mother orders John out of the house and he is forced to take refuge in the machine room in a block of high rise flats, living on deliveries of bread and milk stolen from tenants. Returning to his refuge he finds the room locked and, after sniffing glue, wanders the streets, stripped to the waist. Seeing a statue of Jesus, who John jokingly urges to come down, he has a glue-fuelled vision that Christ accepts the offer but then challenges him on his poor life choices. The next morning, his sober dad finds John and tells him to come home. His father asks him to put him out of his misery and end his life. John goes to his room, taking two knives which he tightly straps to both hands. He goes downstairs and finds his father urinating in a bottle. He asks John to wait until he is asleep, so John wanders the streets. When he encounters members of the rival gang, he attacks one, leaving him grievously injured. Pursued by the other gang members, John is himself badly beaten. Members of Young Car-D then spot John and fight off his attackers, only to have the enraged John turn on them. Injured, he returns home to the room where his father is asleep but is unable to go through with killing him. Falling asleep, he collapses on top of him. He chooses to change his ways and returns to school, attending a remedial class, wanting no further involvement with the gang. The class goes on a field trip to a

safari park A safari park, sometimes known as a wildlife park, is a zoo-like commercial drive-in tourist attraction where visitors can drive their own vehicles or ride in vehicles provided by the facility to observe freely roaming animals. A safari park ...

and their minibus breaks down. Thinking the teachers have abandoned him with the brain-damaged Brown (Canta), John decides to leave the van. The film closes with John and Brown walking hand-in-hand into the distance through a pride of lions, who ignore them.

Cast

*Conor McCarron - John McGill *Gregg Forrest - Young John *Martin Bell - Julian *

Marianna Palka Marianna Bronislawa Barbara Palka (born 7 September 1981) is a Scottish actress, producer, director, and writer. She is the writer, director and star of the film '' Good Dick'', which screened at the Sundance Film Festival. Early life and edu ...

- Aunt Beth *

Steven Robertson Steven Robertson (born 1 January 1977) is a Scottish actor who stars as Detective Sandy Wilson in the BBC One adaptation of Ann Cleeves's ''Shetland'', filmed near where Robertson was born and brought up. He portrayed Michael Connelly, a young ...

- Mr. Bonetti *Khai Nugent - Tam *Joe Szula - Benny *Mhairi Anderson - Elizabeth *Gary Milligan - Canta Brown *John Joe Hay - Fergie *Christopher Wallace - Wee T *Richard Mack - Gerr *Ryan Walker - Sparra *Lee Fanning - Minty *Ross Greig - Fifey *Greg McCreadie - Tora *Scott Ingram - Casper *Cameron Fulton - Crystal *Craig Kerr - Rebel *Kat Murphy - Claire *Stefanie Szula - Linda *Annie Watson - Agnes *Zoë Halliday - Mandy *Sara MacCallum - Shelagh *Louis McLaughlin - Robert *David O'Brien - Bernard *Ross Weston - Danny *Claire Gordon - Louise *

Marcus Nash Marcus DeLando Nash (born February 1, 1976) is a retired American football wide receiver, formerly of the Dallas Desperados of the Arena Football League. He was drafted by the Denver Broncos 30th overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. He played colleg ...

- Patrick *

- Mr. McGill

Reception

The film was well received by critics, with a 94% approval rating based on 33 reviews at aggregator site

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...

Awards

At the 2011 British Academy Scotland Awards, Peter Mullan won best director and best writer for film or television for ''Neds''; it was shortlisted for best film and Conor McCarron was shortlisted for best actor. ''Neds'' won the

Golden Shell The Golden Shell ( es, Concha de Oro; eu, Urrezko Maskorra) is the highest prize given to a competing film at the San Sebastián Film Festival. It was introduced in 1957. In 1953 and 1954, the highest prize had been called the Gran Premio. In 19 ...

(Best Film) at the San Sebastian Film Festival in September 2010.

References

External links