My childhood. My ain folk

These first two instalments of the autobiographical “Trilogy” which was to be completed with “My way home” (1978) comprise an achievement unique in British cinema. The events experienced in the films by Jamie closely parallel those lived through by Douglas himself but his approach is impressionistic. The mystification this creates is all of a piece with the films’ effect; communication is a commodity which (like language itself) is in short supply in Jamie’s life. The meaning resides more fully in the visual structure. Tragic as the films are it is the ultimate victory of the imagination over circumstances that “My way home” will subsequently explore.