Chanter was shot entirely on location in a suburb of Glasgow, the cast comprising local inhabitants. The director knows the area like the back of his hand, because he grew up there. He has portrayed this experience as a frightening and schizophrenic experience. Every boy had to ensure he was in a gang, because otherwise the gangs would terrorise him. The leading character Tam is 12 and has to choose for one of the gangs. He is however literally too poetic for this harsh world. Metaphorically and almost literally he holds his breath and hides away from reality in an ‘underwater dream’. He becomes fascinated by a singing tramp who also seems to live outside reality.
