‘Peter Mullan won the actors’ prize in Cannes for his impressive role in My Name is Joe (by Ken Loach, see there), but he has really wanted to make his own films since he was nineteen. Becoming an actor was only second best when he was not admitted to the film academy. Before My Name is Joe Mullan was also seen in Riff-Raff, Braveheart and Trainspotting, among others.With Orphans Mullan is now also making his directing début. He is a Scot and the film is about Scots, especially about the four from the title who are left behind after their mother died. Scotland, that’s the Highlands, whisky, Glasgow Rangers-Celtic, the kilt, the bagpipes. But when you see Mullan’s film, Scotland turns out largely to be a language that is even incomprehensible for Simon Field and a bunch of crazies who beat each other’s brains out and make a mess of things. Weirdos in a stunning hotchpotch film.’ Peter van Bueren, de Volkskrant.
