Image copyright © by Marcus Trahan

16 Years of Alcohol

(UK, 2003)

This Scottish film can’t seem to decide what it wants to do. It’s narrated by a dead man, and most of what he says could be on a Zen Hallmark card, and he says it over and over. We see a man with serious issues around violence, not alcohol, and he’s smart enough to realize he’s capable of better things. He gets some help, makes a lot of progress, but then is brought down by his old ways of thinking, and finally is murdered by his old mates. What’s the point here? During his violent days there are many, many references to A Clockwork Orange, and that’s fun for a while … but I don’t know if it was smart to make one think of one of the most visually stunning movies of all time unless you have something to add to it, and this movie doesn’t. And it was so orange.IMDb.com