david mackenzie follow up to the brilliant young adam want to be a feel good underdog story of a lonely voyeur who be try to confront some psycho sexual issue with his dead mother . it want to be gritty and realistic and and mysterious . at the same time and it want to be funny and nonjudgmental of it disturbed lead a he establish himself a an adult . to meet this end and the film try hard to be youthful . it poster have hand drawn letter look like that of juno . it original soundtrack be comprise of fast paced indie rock which try to convince the audience that hallam be ok while just a little misguided . but strangely the film be anything but youthful . like young adam this film central mystery concern a drowned woman in this case hallam mother . young adam keep it mystery quiet and contemplative and and pace well enough to hit you with the truth a they come . hallam foe do the opposite . it foreground it character psychosis so clearly and so early that he never really do anything outside his expected parameter . the opening scene be hallam in his treehouse watch his sister fool around with her boyfriend . hallam swiftly interrupt and assert his presence in the household . here we see everything that hallam will do for the rest of the movie . the mystery surround his mother drowning be whether it be suicide or murder by his father girlfriend . the audience can never really trust hallam because and besides be creepy and we think his obsession have lead him close to insanity . this hinder the mystery element for me because hallam be too sporadic to be relatable . right when he find some clue that would support his claim he run away from home and at first it appear to be look for the police . then he get extremely sidetrack by a girl who resemble his mother and which frustratingly lead the story away from the mystery element . while jamie bell do bring out some very endearing trait in his lose character and he be limit by the obviousness of his psychological need . this movie be in no way mysterious and yet it be not blunt either . it try to be realistic in deal with such issue and but it add a very self conscious spunk which register itself a quite the opposite . it go for a soundtrack heavy and trainspotting attitude to help the audience root for a protagonist who scale building and pick lock and and camp out for the sake of voyeurism . these urban peeping tom adventure hallam engages in be way too difficult for an inward drawn country boy to engage in and they be not sexy and giddy and or pleasant . they be more neutral than anything while not propel the character or story . mackenzie make you understand hallam and yet he fail to build common ground . he expect you to enjoy hallam trial and tribulation without much ideological justification . the film hinge on it audience perspective on voyeurism or the kind of person who engage in it . obviously and most people would be disgust by it . and hallam foe realize that and but it do not let u see hallam weigh the morality of his decision . he go from person to person and try to fill his deep void . there be a particularly disturbing line from hallam love interest kate where she drunkenly say i love creepy boy and perhaps ask the audience to do the same . the line try to foreshadow her understanding of him ( her motivation remain vague throughout ) and try to further u from judge him . it not hard to like hallam and but it be very hard to participate in his adventure if it be even an adventure at all . all the while and the film try to use it flamboyant soundtrack to mask it indecisive mood . great performance be weigh down by a film with a weak third act and muddy development and and needlessly ambiguous direction from mackenzie . recently this film be re name for a u release and and for what reason . not only be it more unappealing and but the hard truth be that the hallam character never earn the title amister .