Neds (2011) | agoodmovietowatch
Back
Movie

Neds 2011

A well-acted Scottish coming-of-age drama, now streaming

Our Take (by Bilal Zouheir)

This coming-of-age drama is about John McGill, a brilliant student with a promising future who becomes a thug. More specifically, he becomes a Ned: a Non-Educated Delinquent, a derogatory term applied to small-time criminals in Scotland.

His story takes place in 1970s Glasgow. A lot pushes John to make this transition: bad parenting, bullying and an early brush with crime life through his older brother. Directed by and starring Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Westworld).

Notable Critics

"The closing 30 minutes sag a little, but overall this is storytelling at its most engrossing."

— James Wright

Synopsis

NEDs (Non Educated Delinquents) is the story of a young man’s journey from prize-winning schoolboy to knife-carrying teenager. Struggling against the low expectations of those around him, John McGill changes from victim to avenger, scholar to NED, altar boy to glue sniffer. When he attempts to change back again, his new reality and recent past make conformity near impossible and violent self determination near inevitable.

Awards

BAFTA

2 wins, 3 nominations

Won: Best DirectorWon: Best WriterNominated: Best Actor/ActressNominated: Best Feature FilmNominated: Favourite Scottish Film (Audience Award)

Comments

Add your review

Your email address will not be published.*

About the author

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir

Bilal Zouheir is the founder of A Good Movie to Watch. He is US-based and a member of the Nevada Film Critics Society. He grew up in Morocco, where he learned English from watching movies. Bilal's work with A Good Movie to Watch is focused on offering an alternative to streaming algorithms, which are often used as commercial tools by streaming services.