User Rating 
Richard Jobson made the switch from film critic to film director with 16 Years Of Alcohol, an "intense and imaginatively mounted" drama about a man revisiting his violent past. Kevin McKidd stars in this low-budget British production, which was never in danger of setting the box office alight, but won favour among a niche crowd of dedicated cinephiles.
Drunk On Success
"I'm doing what I really want to do after all these years," confesses Jobson who worked as a critic for 20 years before making his directorial debut. He talks about making that transition in a meditative behind-the-scenes featurette while also reflecting on the themes of the film. He cites Wong Kar Wai as a major influence, which is fair enough since it was the acclaimed Chinese director who convinced Jobson to adapt his poem into a feature film. Actors Kevin McKidd, Susan Lynch and Laura Fraser also chime in with their thoughts on the story and its deceptively simple premise: "the search for the meaning of hope".
Pub Philosophy
Jobson elaborates on the quest for meaning in his audio commentary, which is as thoughtful and detailed as you'd expect from a former critic. From the outset, he makes it clear, "I didn't want to make a piece of social realism," adding that,"I wanted something bigger, more heightened." He points out the ways in which he achieved this heightened level of realism, for instance using sound effects to exaggerate the sound of a pint glass being set on a bar - thus enhancing a sense of impending doom. Speaking of which, he also takes a jab at the British financiers who were reluctant to fork out for this modestly budgeted film. (Perhaps if he'd cast Renée Zellweger, this trouble could have been avoided?)
You also have the option of watching the entire film in pencil-sketch storyboards - if you're into that sort of thing - otherwise that wraps it up for bonus features. It's no doubt a slim package, but 16 Years Of Alcohol still deserves good buzz on DVD.
EXTRA FEATURES
