IT'S grim up north. To see just how grim take a look at Purely Belter, in which a two Tynesider teens try to make their dreams come true.

Gerry (Chris Beattie) and Sewell (Greg McLane) are teenage best friends who live and breathe Newcastle United Football Club. Both dream of the day they can buy a season pass to St James's Park. Unfortunately, the tickets would cost £1,000 and, well, they are £1,000 short.

Money is just the beginning of their problems. They have much more pressing concerns at home. Gerry's mam (Charlie Hardwick) is seriously ill and his sister Clare (Tracy Whitwell) is finding it tough as a single parent, trying to raise baby Sheara (named after Newcastle's captain).

All three live in fear of Gerry's violent, alcoholic father (Tim Healy) a self-loathing wife-beater who has forced them to change addresses.

Meanwhile, Sewell is in love with local lass Gemma (Jody Baldwin), whose boyfriend happens to be "built like a brickhouse", and is consumed with worry about his father (Roy Hudd) who cannot take care of himself properly, let alone a growing lad.

Based on the novel The Season Ticket by Jonathan Tulloch, Purely Belter is a bitter-sweet which captures the pluck of working-class teenagers on Tyneside.

Beattie and McLane, both making their film debuts, are an engaging and instantly watchable double-act, refusing to accept their lot in life, striving for something better for themselves and their loved ones. The success of the film hangs totally on their performances and they never disappoint.

The other young performers are equally impressive and Hardwick, Hudd and Kevin Whately provide solid support as the adults who both hinder and help the boys progress.

Healy deserves special mention as the villain of the piece - his portrayal of a man prone to extreme acts of violence is frighteningly convincing.