Last Friday evening I went along to the Filmhouse in Edinburgh to see the film Neds. I knew very little about the film other than that it was written and produced by Peter Mullen which is reason enough to watch it.

Set in 1970's Glasgow the story is undoubtedly rooted in it's gritty location and time but tells a universal tale about the crisis of masculinity and the pain of a boy growing up without a father (as well as the usual Scottish themes of drink and class divide).

As a study of Scottish masculinity Neds is uncompromising and although grounded in 70's Glasgow the themes are certainly prevalent in Edinburgh in 2011 (I don't think this decade has got a moniker yet) and I imagine relate to modern life across cultural and geographical barriers.

Where the film departs from a linear narrative I delight but I realise fantasy sequences are not to everyones taste, I would suggest that we would all benefit from tapping into the largely dormant parts of our psyches. The film is at once nostalgic and modern; inspiring and sad; riveting and mystifying.

Well done to Peter Mullen and the excellent cast. As a son and a father I found the film deeply moving and I would urge anyone to watch it and share their thoughts here.