Eden Valley

When Billy (Bell), a listless, disaffected teenager from a neglected housing estate, is put on probation for stealing drugs from a chemist's, his mother sends him to the country to stay with his dad Hoggy (Brian Hogg), who left the family some ten years earlier to live in a caravan and raise horses for harness-racing. Interested only in raves, drugs and music, Billy remains resolutely unimpressed by his dad's home, his passion for racing, and the working-class sense of honour that impels him to work on, however cold the wind that blows over the snowy hills of Co Durham. But is this harsh new life better than serving time? Once again, the Amber Production Team has produced a film notable for its authenticity, its muscular, naturalistic performances, and its lack of sentimentality. The film is marked by a droll humour, a celebratory sense of community, and a responsiveness to nature and landscape. A British film made with limited resources standing foursquare on its own ground.