The second instalment of Bill Douglas’ revered Trilogy. Though life becomes ever harder for Jamie, so that he eventually ends up in a none-too-comforting children’s home, the bold, uncompromising assurance of Douglas’ very personal brand of realism ensures that the film effortlessly avoids the pitfalls of sentimentality or self-pity. Rather, it is so firmly grounded in specific memories that the boy’s experiences feel quite universal in their relevance.