Richard Jobson
16 Years Of Alcohol

An almost unknown English film, which actually deserves more attention.

In "16 Years Of Alcohol" we encounter an oxymoron: raw, violent, sometimes even schizophrenic images clash with the calmness of the protagonist narrating his own story.

The epicenter of the film is Frankie, a young man in his early twenties who has dedicated his life to drinking to try to drown his sorrows, only to unleash all his violence. During a beating, Frankie retraces his life in a confused and hallucinatory manner: his despair began when, as a child, he saw his father, his idol, betray his mother by having sex with another woman, moreover in the middle of the street and in broad daylight. And young Frankie decided to forget everything. The adults around him drank and stupefied themselves, and he thought it was the best solution to do the same.

Thus, we are faced with a young man who has no other prospects in life besides drinking and wandering around with a group of friends, whose only fun consists of seeking out brawls and violence, all watered down with beer and whisky. Frankie, however, is something more: he does not love this life and tries to disengage from it, vainly, in every way. He seeks redemption through love, but it is not enough. His fate is always the same, to return to his one true love: the bottle.

The story is told in a twisted way, alternating the child’s memories with the adult’s thoughts, retracing, without any logical or chronological order, the life of this young man. In his mind, everything is confused, and his memories are viewed through the bottom of a glass.

The particular thing about this film is the contrast between the raw and direct images and Frankie's voice, which, as if reading a decadent poem, recalls the most significant episodes of his life. The sight and hearing dissociate: the images speak to us of violence, but the voice we hear expresses sadness and despair.

Unfortunately, the film, while being very particular and interesting, does not fully satisfy.

Indeed, the film fails to fully involve the viewer in the protagonist’s despair. In fact, there is always the sensation (which remains even after the viewing is over) that something is missing, though it is difficult to ascertain what.

Initially, it seems that the protagonist is underdeveloped, but, upon further reflection, with a clear mind, one arrives at a different explanation. The problem is that Frankie's despair is banal, too common: Frankie is a real person, like many others. He has his problems, which he tries to drown in alcohol; he has fits of anger; he is an eternal dissatisfied; he can never find the right woman who loves him. Certainly not an idyllic situation, yet always and still a "normal" situation, experienced by many people, whom we could easily meet at any small bar, "killing themselves" all day with "shots".

Even Frankie’s childhood sexual trauma is, after all, "banal". There is nothing spectacular or cinematic: no pedophile priest, no jailer with a baton. He simply saw his father betray his mother with a beautiful woman and it disillusioned and frustrated him, turning him into a beast. These events turn out to be too normal, too common, so much so that they fail to strike us, or, much less, make us reflect.

A nod of approval for the choice of protagonist, actor Kevin McKidd (seen in Trainspotting), who fits perfectly in his role.