It felt strange watching it because I was about the same age as the character "James" (William Eadie), who’s living in Glasgow during the 1970s. I recall the nine-week dustmen strike; there were piles of garbage everywhere. We lived in a small, one-bedroom apartment overrun with mice, similar to those shown in the tenement buildings, and that canal – it was an abandoned mess, full of disease and danger. There used to be lots of empty land—bomb sites cleared after the war—for kids like me to play on, which is exactly what we did. No one had a car or a phone, or even a washing machine; so when he goes out to play, it makes sense that his trousers were tucked into his wellies! I would have thought the canal was too cold for him and his friend "Ryan" (Thomas McTaggart) to be messing around in, but they are when something terrible happens. This forms the basis of this story, which observes with care, about his life with his alcoholic father (Tommy Flanagan), a caring but no-nonsense mother (Mandy Matthews), and a younger sister. The film’s photography powerfully shows how poor their living conditions were, while they held onto the hope that the council would move them to a new home on the outskirts of the city where "James" dreams of having a proper bath with running water and a field of corn to play in. He also befriends "Margaret Anne" (Leanne Mullen), an older girl who spends a lot of time giving his friends their first experiences that are almost sexual, either at her place or somewhere else. Does anyone else remember “nit combs”? That turns out to be the most unexpected way for them to connect as they use one along with some really strong carbolic soap to find a bond, companionship, and some genuine affection. Eadie is excellent; he acts naturally, and he’s supported by Flanagan as his constantly drunk but never violent father, Matthews, and the remarkably engaging performance from his “retarded” neighbor "Kenny" (John Miller), which gives us a sense of a family and a community that certainly speaks with swear words most of the time, but still has standards and looks out for each other. We weren’t a group that showed affection in any sentimental way, and without technology to entertain us, we made our own fun—however dirty or dangerous it might seem now. Lynne Ramsay portrays this tough city life realistically while also remembering that there are some of the wittiest people on Earth living here. The council housing estates of Glasgow weren’t great places to live in 1973, but everyone was struggling just as much – and that is really shown well in this moving story about searching for hope, freedom, and a bit of hot water.

Source on TMDB