Top Ten Scottish Films of the 00’s…

In no order at all here are my favourite Scottish Films of the decade, all of which are now available on DVD. On reflection this was one of the best periods for Scottish Film, and choosing a top ten was more difficult than I first expected. The brilliant Orphans missed out as it was released in the latter part of 1999, there is one selection that some may view as a bit of a cheat (but it’s my baw) and fans of Super Ally McCoist will be disappointed as his, as yet only, film A Shot at Glory doesn’t make the cut. Do you remember he made that film with Robert Duvall, Michale Keaton, Brian Cox and most of the Airdrie team? It seems like a weird dream now. Anyway, I’ve seen it and it’s not going in.

Great central performance from Kevin McKidd, and good support as well, this is an often brutal film that doesn’t shy away from showing just how grim life can be, but there’s lots of films, some of them on this list, that also do that. What makes this stand out is Jobson’s vision, poetry and heart. It may be my favourite on this list:

It’s a magical piece of cinema, one that makes you wish Lynne Ramsay made more movies. I can’t imagine any other director making this film the success it is.

The nicest thing about this list is the quality of the films that are missing. Ken Loach’s Sweet Sixteen, the 2004 remake of The Rocket Post, American Cousins and Douglas Gordon’s amazing art house piece, Zidane, are just a few of the others which were considered. When such a list is compared to what was happening in Scottish cinema in the 1980s, then the progress made is clear. My hope for the next decade is that Scottish film can move on again and continue to make interesting, challenging and entertaining films.