Scheme Birds

Once Scotland’s steel capital, nowadays a black hole of unemployment and frustration, Motherwell is a bleak town scarred by shattered promises and failed dreams, where time seems to move in inescapable circles. Gemma, a tenacious and vigorous teenager, lives in the blighted outskirts, where you “either get knocked up or locked up.” Her budding voice is accompanied by dreamy cinematography, articulating a chilling commentary on the loneliness and violence that engulf buildings, landscapes, and people’s hearts. A ragged journey through a fading world that allows a strand of hope to sneak out through the cracks.