Martin Compston is a British revelation. He even came close to making Monarch of the Glenn watchable for a time.

In Sweet Sixteen he plays the chavtastic Liam; a young lad who wants nothing more than to give his mother a proper life when she gets out of prison (all together now: Awwwwwwwww)

Bless him. Anyway, Martin Compston quite rightfully gave up a promising career in football to pursue acting - not something one would usually advise - but he's (by and large) made some fine choices in his career so far, and not many can boast a debut film, and performance, half as good as this.

Ken Loach's films tend to be bleak tales of working class hardship,usually against a depressing urban backdrop where redemption is utterly unattainable. For the most part 'Sweet Sixteen' is no exception, but despite the less than chipper mood of the movie it's a poignant and moving tale with a superb cast,guaranteed to engage and entertain.