My Childhood

My Childhood

NR 1972 · 47 min · ★ 7.2 · Drama

The first part of Bill Douglas' influential trilogy harks back to his impoverished upbringing in early-'40s Scotland. Cinema was his only escape - he paid for it with the money he made from returning empty jam jars - and this escape is reflected most closely at this time of his life as an eight-year-old living on the breadline with his half-brother and sick grandmother in a poor mining village.

Directed by Bill Douglas · Written by Bill Douglas

Your Rating

Where to Watch

Streaming

Criterion ChannelBFI Player Amazon Channel

Cast

Make it a double feature

1h 42m together

My Childhood

My Ain Folk

Both from Bill Douglas.

Bill Douglas TrilogySee all →

More from Bill DouglasSee all →

My Way HomeMy Way Home · 1978
My Way Home
★ 7.31978
MovieDrama
Jamie leaves the children's home to live with his paternal grandmother. After working in a mine and in a tailor's shop, he is conscripted into the RAF, and goes to Egypt, where he is befriended by Robert, whose undemanding companionship releases Jamie from self-pity.
My Ain FolkMy Ain Folk · 1973
My Ain Folk
★ 7.31973
MovieDrama
When Jamie's maternal grandmother dies, he and his brother Tommy are separated - Tommy is taken off to a welfare home and Jamie goes to live with his other grandmother and uncle. His life is far from happy, filled with silence, rejection and bouts of violence.
ComradesComrades · 1987
Comrades
★ 6.91987
MovieDramaHistory
The story of "The Tolpuddle Martyrs". A group of 19th century English farm labourers who formed one of the first trade unions and started a campaign to receive fair wages.
Carry On CleoCarry On Cleo · 1964
Carry On Cleo
★ 6.71964
MovieComedy
Two Britons—inventor Hengist Pod, and Horse, a brave and cunning fighter—are captured and enslaved by invading Romans and taken to Rome. One of their first encounters in Rome leaves Hengist being mistaken for a fighter, and gets drafted into the Royal Guard to protect Julius Caesar.
Come DancingCome Dancing · 1970
Come Dancing
★ 6.21970
MovieDrama
Celebrated filmmaker Bill Douglas’s early student short follows two men who meet in a cafe on a Southend pier. Glances, body language and very brief snatches of lewd dialogue suggest a pick-up, but the atmosphere soon darkens and events take an unexpected twist.
SleepwalkerSleepwalker · 1984
Sleepwalker
★ 5.51984
MovieHorror
Saxon Logan's extraordinary 49 minute featurette pitches four people into a class war situation with a vicious sting in the tale.
Small WorldSmall World · 1968
Small World
1968
Movie
A rare “talkie” displaying Bill’s gift for dialogue, Small World is a comedy of manners about two married couples who meet by chance at an outdoor café and think they have met before.
GracemaryGracemary · 1966
Gracemary
1966
Movie
A young woman runs to catch the last post with her weekly pools coupon, whilst imagining a more glamorous life for herself.
Still LifeStill Life · 1968
Still Life
1968
Movie
An elderly woman is admitted to an asylum and all her possessions are removed by the council. The idea came from Peter Jewell, who was working as a social worker at the time, but is reminiscent of Bill's own family history.
FeverFever · 1967
Fever
1967
MovieDrama
Displaying the cinematic influence of Bunuel and Cocteau, and inspired by a short story by French writer JMG Le Clézio, Bill’s most experimental short depicts a psychiatric patient who travels to Speakers’ Corner, Hyde Park, to warn anyone who will listen about the impending nuclear holocaust.
Woman in the ParkWoman in the Park · 1967
Woman in the Park
1967
Movie
A Hitchcockian psychodrama about an introverted man who pursues a woman with whom he becomes obsessed, demonstrating Bill’s improving grasp of advanced film language.
Home and AwayHome and Away · 1974
Home and Away
1974
MovieDrama
A young boy away at boarding school struggles when his mother and father split up.
The Water Cress FileThe Water Cress File · 1966
The Water Cress File
1966
Movie
Playing with the tropes of the spy genre, The Water Cress File charts the progress of a mysterious briefcase, passed between several characters on the streets of Soho and, in a metaphysical flourish, into a film showing in the Pavilion cinema.
The Ring of TruthThe Ring of Truth · 1996
The Ring of Truth
1996
MovieComedy
Set in the Necropolis graveyard, Glasgow. A comic and magical tale about the meaning of life and a hunt for a missing diamond ring. An ex-B movie starlet and her daughter search for the ring, lost many years ago whilst the mother was making love with a travelling salesman. Their antics are observed by a small boy who is spending the day with his Grandfather, the custodian of the graveyard. As the story unfolds, the day at the graveyard moves from comedy and tragedy to magic, fantasy and resurrection

More Like This

American BeautyAmerican Beauty · 1999
American Beauty
★ 8.01999
MovieDrama
Lester Burnham, a depressed suburban father in a mid-life crisis, decides to turn his hectic life around after developing an infatuation with his daughter's attractive friend.
Breaking the WavesBreaking the Waves · 1996
Breaking the Waves
★ 7.51996
MovieDramaRomance
In a small, conservative Scottish village, an oilman is paralyzed in an accident. His wife, who prayed for his return, feels guilty; even more, when he urges her to have sex with another.
The 400 BlowsThe 400 Blows · 1959
The 400 Blows
★ 8.01959
MovieDrama
For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.
Billy ElliotBilly Elliot · 2000
Billy Elliot
★ 7.62000
MovieDramaComedy
County Durham, England, 1984. The miners' strike has started and the police have started coming up from Bethnal Green, starting a class war with the lower classes suffering. Caught in the middle of the conflict is 11-year old Billy Elliot, who, after leaving his boxing club for the day, stumbles upon a ballet class and finds out that he's naturally talented. He practices with his teacher Mrs. Wilkinson for an upcoming audition in Newcastle-upon Tyne for the royal Ballet school in London.
Dirty DancingDirty Dancing · 1987
Dirty Dancing
★ 7.31987
MovieDramaMusic
Expecting the usual tedium that accompanies a summer in the Catskills with her family, 17-year-old Frances 'Baby' Houseman is surprised to find herself stepping into the shoes of a professional hoofer—and unexpectedly falling in love.
Irena's VowIrena's Vow · 2024
Irena's Vow
★ 7.72024
MovieWarDrama
19 year old Irena Gut is promoted to housekeeper in the home of a highly respected Nazi officer in Poland when she finds out that the Jewish ghetto is about to be liquidated. Determined to help twelve Jewish workers, she decides to shelter them in the safest place she can think of – the basement of the German Major's house. Over the next eight months, Irena uses her wit, humour and immense courage to hide her friends as long as possible.
KidsKids · 1995
Kids
★ 6.91995
MovieDramaCrime
A group of bored, disaffected New York City teenagers spend a day skating, smoking, drinking, partying, deflowering virgins, and getting into fights.
Risky BusinessRisky Business · 1983
Risky Business
★ 6.61983
MovieRomanceComedy
Meet Joel Goodson, an industrious, college-bound 17-year-old and a responsible, trustworthy son. However, when his parents go away and leave him home alone in the wealthy Chicago suburbs with the Porsche at his disposal he quickly decides he has been good for too long and it is time to enjoy himself. After an unfortunate incident with the Porsche Joel must raise some cash, in a risky way.
Chariots of FireChariots of Fire · 1981
Chariots of Fire
★ 6.81981
MovieDramaHistory
In the class-obsessed and religiously divided UK of the early 1920s, two determined young runners train for the 1924 Paris Olympics. Eric Liddell, a devout Christian born to Scottish missionaries in China, sees running as part of his worship of God's glory and refuses to train or compete on the Sabbath. Harold Abrahams overcomes anti-Semitism and class bias, but neglects his beloved sweetheart in his single-minded quest.
The Tree of LifeThe Tree of Life · 2011
The Tree of Life
★ 6.72011
MovieDramaFantasy
The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s. The film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father. Jack finds himself a lost soul in the modern world, seeking answers to the origins and meaning of life while questioning the existence of faith.
Dear FrankieDear Frankie · 2004
Dear Frankie
★ 7.02004
MovieDramaFamily
Nine-year-old Frankie and his single mum Lizzie have been on the move ever since Frankie can remember, most recently arriving in a seaside Scottish town. Wanting to protect her deaf son from the truth that they've run away from his father, Lizzie has invented a story that he is away at sea on the HMS Accra. Every few weeks, Lizzie writes Frankie a make-believe letter from his father, telling of his adventures in exotic lands. As Frankie tracks the ship's progress around the globe, he discovers that it is due to dock in his hometown. With the real HMS Accra arriving in only a fortnight, Lizzie must choose between telling Frankie the truth or finding the perfect stranger to play Frankie's father for just one day...

Rate this film

Your ratings make Midnight smarter