Set in Edinburgh in three distinct periods in the life of Frankie Mac, 16 YEARS OF ALCOHOL provides a challenging introduction to a man’s belief in the meaning of hope.
As a young boy Frankie Mac watches the world around him drench itself in alcohol. His father, who has always been an iconic figure to Frankie, is seen for the first time as a philandering liar.
In his teenage years, Frankie leads a gang. They thrive on music, clothes and violence. A chance meeting with a young woman, Helen, introduces Frankie to a whole range of possibilities he had never considered. He begins to depart from his identity as a member of the gang, which turns them against him, creating a fatal enemy in the shape of the character Miller. Frankie falls in love with Helen, but cannot distance himself from the tyranny of the past, which returns to haunt him and any potential relationship. As his life starts to take a wrong turn again, he falls back into the familiar pattern of violence and alcohol.
As a man, Frankie has found new focus through group meetings and his role as an actor. A real sense of what his life could be begins to surface. He has met a new woman, Mary, who shows him how to be open and honest. Due to the shadow of the past never being far behind him he feels too vulnerable and afraid to commit, and allows a potentially beautiful relationship to fall apart. He has an opportunity to at last understand the meaning of hope and feel the power of love in all of its glory through telling Mary how he really feels.
Douglas Hickox Award | Winner | British Independent Film Awards 2003
