There haven't been a great number of films dealing with Northern Ireland's difficult emergence from decades of sectarian terrorism.

Director Pearse Elliott doesn't actually focus on the political upheavals of the peace agreement but acknowledges there are those unwilling to forgive and forget.

Instead, he's drawn to the everyday story of a young boy growing up in a Belfast still riven by ideological conflict but unquestioningly determined to keep the peace.

(youngsters playing football in the shadow of the peace wall wear hardhats and crashhelmets for protection from the occasional shower of stones from the other side)

Donal (Tyrone McKenna) works as a yardhand for tactiturn local farmer Good Joe (Stott), a loner who values the boys' enthusiastic help to the extent of buying him a greyhound to race.

Then, into Donal's life comes O (Carlyle), a former IRA man who was wounded in "active service" on an operation that saw Donal's uncle killed.

O is determined to put violence behind him - a stance regarded by Stott,whose mushroom shed is home to an arsenal of Real IRA arms, as treachery.

This takes a sober-minded yet ultimately optimistic view of contemporary Ireland, demonising Stott not for his dogged pro-IRA views but the casual cruelty he visits on young Donal.

It gets a little bit of a canine Kes but terrific performances - particularly from the seasoned Caryle and luminous newcomer McKenna - lend it a voice of its own.

Gillian Anderson - boasting a convincing Irish burr - makes the movie attractive Stateside and its level-headed approach to a complex situation deserves praise.

Worth a look.

Tim Evans