As an actor Peter Mullan has rarely been afraid to delve deeply into primal emotions to qualify his dedication to a role. Paddy Considine’s recent Tyrannosaur was a prime example of this magnificent actor’s talents. Twice before as a director Mullan has proved himself unequally unafraid to tackle uncompromising subject matter, especially with his indictment of the Catholic Church in his disturbing 2002 film The Magdalene Sisters.
Now eight years on Mullan’s third stint behind the camera has produced a controversial, angry film of youths whose identity has been distilled down to essentially meaningless confrontation and violence. Neds short for Non-Educated Delinquents begins in Glasgow in 1972. It focuses on the journey of one boy in particular, John McGill (Conor McCarron), who as a slightly overweight youngster shows genuine aptitude in the classroom. Fear of relegation to second-tier classes may be the chief motivator but clearly he is streets ahead of the majority of his fellow students in an academic sense.
Two turning points direct him down a darker alternate path in life. Firstly, the rejection of his presence in a friend’s life by the boy’s mother who sizes him up based solely on his social class. It’s a brutal blow to John whose bond with the boy was based on innocent friendship. Then John unexpectedly recieves respect on the streets once he’s identified as the younger brother of a notorious street gang member.
There is great courage in Mullan’s decision to shy away from a conventional narrative arc and easy redemption for his main character. John’s behaviour is frustrating but is it surprising? McCarron plays John as a detached instigator; a young man who virtually never displays emotion. This seems likely to blunt his capacity to provide John with interesting shadings but his presence alone is persuasive; it’s especially impressive for a first time actor too.
John seems to lack conscience too when taking revenge against a turncoat rival a display of violence that requires a debilitating follow-up act beyond the initial blow to sate his rage. This alarming propensity for violence alienates us, no doubt, so why do I feel some measure of empathy with this kid? Is he evil or a product of his upbringing and social isolation? Perhaps it’s wishful thinking or an expectation derived from the conditioning of lesser films that lets us expect a failsafe, redemptive act that turns back the tide or smooth over troubled waters.
Neds (2011) is another gutsy film from Mullan who was responsible for the screenplay which broadly speculates on a nature vs. nurture argument for explaining why certain individuals derail or ‘go bad’. The director also appears as John’s drunkard father whose plea to his son to “finish me” is one of the film’s defining moments.
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