I don't have all the words right now but this film is a work of art.

A different way of telling a story

The film may be flawed, but its message is not.

A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

The teak-faced Peter Mullan is a foreman at a ship-building factory in Scotland. A magnificent ship slides down the ways and Mullan has been rendered "redundant." His buddies -- Mad Bob, Merve the Perv, and the rest -- are sympathetic but life goes on. Mullan's wife, the matronly Brenda Blethyn, tries for the third time to pass the test and get a job as a bus driver. Things look pretty bleak. But then Mullan, by now steeped in a voiceless despair, looks into the sea and has an epiphany. So he swims the English channel.This is a low-key story for grown-ups. Nobody's head gets wrenched off. The ending is a bit much in some ways but at least nobody bursts into sobs and there is no triumphant music on the sound track. Nope. The movie is as flinty as the people inhabiting it.There is a kind of sub-theme, something between Mullan and his son Bob. They don't get along because of some childhood contretemps. That's straightened out in the end too.I enjoyed it. Mullan is an ordinary middle-aged guy with a bit of flab and a lot of determination. He's so proud that he keeps his plan to swim the channel even from his wife, if not from his partners in crime. I didn't understand why, except that it provides an opportunity for the introduction of some humor ("I think he's having an affair") and a little tension ("Why wouldn't you even tell me -- your own wife?") to keep the story from dragging.Speaking of humor, there are amusing incidents and characters who are unwittingly funny. Well -- one example. To be entered officially into the Guiness book of world records, Mullan needs to be accompanied in his swim by a boat, which he is not allowed to touch. But Mullan and his pals don't HAVE a boat. But they get a tip. Mad Bob has a boat he could lend them but Mullan has to arm wrestle Bob to win the favor.So the two men -- Mullan and Mad Bob -- strip off their jackets, clear the table in the pub, place their elbows, clasp hands, and stare at each other, waiting for the "Go" signal. Everyone expects a Herculean struggle, just like the ones they've seen in every other movie with an arm wrestling contest. Instead -- Wham! -- and Mullan instantly flattens Bob's hand. Bob cheerfully agrees to lend them his boat.I won't go on about this except to say that the cinematography is splendid without in any way being splashy, so to speak. See it. Everybody needs to smile now and then.

Unless one has experienced the bone chilling cold of Scotland's waterways, around 40 degrees Fahrenheit even in summer) the rigorous training of the aspiring Channel swimmer in this film cannot be appreciated. Scotland is a beautiful land filled with warm hearted people, but it is always COLD and very, very windy. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed the story, and the characterizations of the very real Glaswegians. As I watched this on HBO I was able to follow the subtitles, but having lived in Scotland, the accent was music to my ears.The man who had spent 36 years in the shipyards, expecting to retire there, is suddenly confronted with the unthinkable - unemployment. Not only is he robbed of his self esteem, he no longer a breadwinner, but he has a lot of time to think and not necessarily of things that he wants to remember. His job had been his life - all he had to do was show up for work every day. He and his wife had settled into a cordial routine where they lived together in a marriage that had long since become a habit. They no longer had any real communication. She does not tell him that she is learning to drive a double decker bus (in high heals no less) and he doesn't tell her that he is planning to swim the channel "what channel?" Thanks to the social security system and National Health Service, being laid off from one's job in Britain does not the potential for financial disaster that it has in the US, but it is still an unpleasant experience to find oneself discarded in mid-life, hence the need to "do" something memorable.The performances all round are excellent, especially Benjamin Wong who was right on target as the Chinese chippy who no one realized could speak English. When he did, it was with a Glasgow accent. Each man starts to build up his own self-esteem and stand up for himself.

Not since old school days of Local Hero or Gregory's Girl have I had the pleasure of watching a real gem of a film from Scotland as ON A CLEAR DAY.. A tale of of a recently unemployed ship yard worker who seeks to heal the broken relationship with his grown up son after a tragic family accident..Not from emotional grovelling but by setting himself an amazing challenge of swimming the English channel Please check this out.. and swerve the American cheese-munger comedies. This is a neat and tidy comedy with raw emotion and a strong cast and plot to boot...

However as a pensioner I found the sound inconsistent, it wasn't the accents, as a UK citizen I am used to these, it just seemed to come and go especially in the opening scenes. I thought the script was brilliant, the characters believable and lovable and the quality of the acting was superb throughout. As a new member I am unsure what a spoiler is, and hope this small criticism isn't one, but surely in this age of digital miracles someone could remove the two sightings of the boom mike in the hospital scene where the young man is recovering from cramp after his attempt to swim with the protagonist. Also the style of photography in some scenes, which left the actors decapitated, did not work for me or for my companions but perhaps we're too old to appreciate such things. That said, I would thoroughly recommend the film for family viewing.