Showing @ Cineworld, Edinburgh, Tue 24 & Wed 25 Jun

Kat Candler / USA / 2014 / 98 mins

It may be thanks to Breaking Bad that Aaron Paul is having a moment in the spotlight but on the basis of this performance, he’s not leaving it anytime soon. Paul’s complex portrayal of struggling single father Hollis, ably demonstrates how much he has matured as an actor since Jesse Pinkman first climbed out that window in 2008.

Hellion refers to Hollis’ thirteen-year-old son Jacob (Josh Wiggins in an impressive debut), whose destructive behaviour has landed him in trouble with the authorities. But this film is equally about Hollis himself, and in particular the painful process of growing up that is required of both characters if they are to repair the rifts in their family.

In Hollis and Jacob’s parallel worlds of macho bluster, younger son Wes (Deke Garner) is the only outlet for their gentler emotions. The group scenes, whether between Hollis and his beer-chugging buddies or Jacob and his “crew”, could almost be documentary footage for all their authenticity. With her debut feature, director Kat Candler has uncannily captured the frustration and isolation of boys without role models, and of men playing at being adults.

Showing as part of Edinburgh International Film Festival 2014