Set in Scotland, the film tells the story of Liam, a teenage boy from a troubled background who dreams of starting afresh with his mother as soon as she has completed her prison term.

Liam's attempts to raise money for the two of them are set against the backdrop of the Inverclyde towns of Greenock, Port Glasgow and the coast at Gourock.

[4] In the Scottish town of Greenock, teenager Liam and his friends exemplify the violent ned subculture: they no longer attend school, and instead wander aimlessly all day long.

Stan and Rab attempt to force Liam to smuggle drugs to Jean during a prison visit.

Liam dreams of starting afresh by purchasing a caravan to live in with his mother and sister, away from Stan and Rab.

Pinball, meanwhile, is thrown into the health club showers due to his disrespectful behaviour towards the dealer, and vows revenge.

Liam reassures his injured friend after phoning for an ambulance, but he then notifies Tony that the deed has "been done", implying that he has indeed murdered Pinball.

The website's critics consensus reads, "A bleak, but heartbreaking coming-of-age tale that resonates with truth.

"[8] Sweet Sixteen was nominated for the Palme d'Or and won the Best Screenplay Award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival.

[9] Laverty asserted that this was "censorship" and "class prejudice" because he obtained plenty of information to write his screenplay from people around Scotland, many of whom were not 18, and were therefore denied the opportunity to see the film.

[9] The BBFC acknowledged that there is some variation across the United Kingdom in how offensive some words are perceived, but stood by the 18 certificate and argued that most of the publicity around the film was "mostly generated by the disgruntled film-maker".