Riff Raff

Fresh out of Barlinnie prison, young Glaswegian Stevie (Carlyle) arrives in London and lands a job on a construction site. Life in the capital is unforgiving, but when he meets Susan (McCourt), a struggling singer chasing her own dreams, he begins to navigate the brutal ups and downs of survival with something approaching hope.

As part of the BFI’s nationwide Rip It Up season, Birmingham actress and MAC cinema devotee Enva Lewis (How To Have Sex, Your Fault: London) has put together a season of films about the defiance, joy and vulnerability of growing up as a city kid in Britain.

Enva Lewis on why she chose Riff Raff: ‘Conventional romance films were never huge in my house. The occasional one slipped through the cracks though, and Robert Carlyle was - and always will be - a love of all of ours. Grounded in humour and reality, sometimes Riff Raff is more red brick than rainbows, but romance all the same. Dedicated to my momma bear. Thank you for hearing me name an actor or director then showing me their entire filmography. I’m only able to do this because of you. I love you.’