'Sweet Sixteen' - Aspects of crime

Is there a sense that the lack of opportunity that the characters have is what leads to their crimes?
I would say yes. This is because Liam is desperate to make his mother happy and the film shows that he will do anything to make that happen. The decision to enter the drug trade could be due to a lack of other businesses in the local area or for people at Liam's age (15, 16). Another reason for this direction could be that Liam's stepfather, Stan, is already in the drug trade himself, which suggests that Liam has had an upbringing around the business.

Do you feel the characters have less chance of success?
Yes. When seeking employment in the future, kids like Liam and Pinball won't have much to write about on their CV's. I would think that Drug dealing is not something to talk about at a job interview. Another thing that my attention was brought to was Liam's life in education. There is little, if any, mention of it and a school uniform in not seen once.

How much does the area you live in lead to criminal activity and how is this explored within the film?

• How is family life portrayed within this film, what impact does it have upon the characters? Family values appear to be highly respected. Liam simply wants the best for his Mother and the film shows that he would run through fire for her. However, after a beating by rival dealers, Chantelle, Liam's sister, shows that she is worried about him when nursing his wounds. Liam is devastated when his Mother runs away after a 'welcome home' party to Stan's house - the man who effectively is the reason that she was prison. Liam stabs Stan, possibly because he does not want his mother to go through the same perils as before and end up in prison again. He cares for her.

How is social class explored within the film?
I think that the film displays Liam as part of a low-class family. He is kicked out of his home by Stan and it is only because of his sister that he is not homeless. With his friend Pinball, we first see Liam selling contraband cigarettes in a local pub and are soon kicked out, which suggests a smug, cheap personality. As I see it, Pinball was the only character Liam connected with outside of his family and I felt like he only cared about Chantelle and his Mother (when it comes to family). It is made even clearer that Liam is all that Pinball has when he steals a car, crashes into
Tony's health club, burns the caravan and cuts his face. This is because he feels that Liam is fading away from him into the drug business and that he is being left alone.

How is crime explored within the film?
To begin with, crime appears almost laughable in the film (stealing a policeman's hat). However, when Liam begins selling drugs, we see the emotional and physical effects that it has on him and his family. This begins when Liam is beaten up by a rival gang who steal his gear. Liam does not simply fall down though - He desperately needs his gear back and goes after them, getting even more wounds in the process. This is what upsets his sister, and his mother is upset later when she learns Liam had gained the new apartment by entering the drug trade. Overall, I would say that crime, even if it is for a 'good' cause, does not come without its perils, emotionally and physically.