16 Years of Alcohol
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| 16 Years of Alcohol | |
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| Directed by | Richard Jobson |
| Produced by | Hamish McAlpine |
| Written by | Richard Jobson |
| Starring | Kevin McKidd, Susan Lynch, Ewen Bremner |
| Distributed by | Metro Tartan |
| Release date(s) | 14 August 2003 |
| Running time | 102 min. |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
16 Years of Alcohol is a 2003 drama film written and directed by Richard Jobson, based on his 1987 novel.
The film is Jobson's first directorial effort. He previously worked as a television presenter on BSkyB and VH-1, and was the vocalist for 1970s punk rock band The Skids.
Kevin McKidd plays the central character Frankie, an alcoholic who is partially based on Jobson's brother and on Jobson himself. Set in Edinburgh, the film is known for its unique and beautiful filming of the city, and for its amazing sound effects.
The opening scene sees Frankie being beaten by his former friends, and the rest of the film is shown in flashback leading up to that point. This is split into three sections showing Frankie's troubled childhood, his violent adolescence as a Clockwork Orange influenced thug who commands a group of "Drugoos", and the period of change, where Frankie tries to belienve in the hope that resides in love. He starts a relationship with Helen, a girl who studies art and owns a record store. When the differences between them became too obvious, Helen breaks with Frankie, and he is caught in the spiderweb of his past again. Some time later, Frankie meets Mary, a good-hearted alcoholic, and starts a rehabilitation program with her. They also begin to study theatre, preparing a performance under the guidance of a director. This allows Frankie to exorcise a part of his demons, and he loses the desire to fight. A situation in a pub when the cast of the play are celebrating the end of the rehearsals makes Frankie believe that Mary is cheating on him with the director of the play, refloating his hidden ghosts and doubts created by his parents a long time ago. Feeling deceived, Frankie rejects Mary without a reason. But, when he´s getting ready to drink a glass of scotch, he begins to think about how the past has destroyed his life up to this point, and decides to stay sober and call Mary in order to apologize. The events merge with the beginning of the film, and Frankie´s former comrades chase and beat him up. If Frankie dies or not is open to the viewer, but it is implied that he does not survive the brutal attack... -"You´re gonna carry that weight"-
The soundtrack features many 1970s bands including Roxy Music, Desmond Dekker, Velvet Underground, Iggy Pop & The Stooges and Jobson's own The Skids.
In the 2003 British Independent Film Awards the film was nominated for Best Independent Film and Susan Lynch won the Best Supporting Actor/Actress category.
