Justin, a human rights lawyer takes a trip north of the border to visit with family before he moves out to the United States. As it turns out, his uncle runs a brothel (sauna) and while waiting on his Visa being processed he finds himself involved in a life that his mother moved to England to keep him away from. I had seen postings for this movie for a while but had never gotten around to it. Now i'm wondering what took me so long. There are not many movies at the moment that actually make me laugh out loud but this one did. Some funny anecdotes and some very funny visual moments lightened what could have been a very dark movie. Unfortunately i was left wanting more. Nice one.

With equally charismatic performances from Leo Horsfield and Simon Weir, the strength of this film lies in the rich dialogue and storytelling, something many brit flicks avoid, which is what makes this movie so appealing and unique.

Like the main character Justin, this story take you out of your comfort zone as it drops us into the seedy, underbelly of Edinburgh's barely legitimate 'sauna' trade.

Despite the films' title, there's surprisingly little gratuitous sex or violent content but it's the fleeting glimpses and hints of them which actually make it seem more realistic, grim and it's certainly a refreshing change. That's not to say there is a lack of juicy content, there's plenty eye Candy (Big Agnes!) and just out of shot action to make you squirm with delight and the low budget feel definitely adds to the grittiness of it all rather than detract.

Highlights are the endearing, and unpredictable Uncle Rab's gripping, animated anecdotes and the genuine laugh out loud moments from this motley crew, as the drama unfolds, particularly from the character 'Curry Tom.' There's familiar warmth from the character Uncle Rab (played brilliantly by Simon Weir),his overly friendly peers and our cringing sympathy for naive and conscientious Justin. It's this, combined with the underlying sinister factors (including the vulnerability of some of the prostitutes and Rab's even less legal ventures) which creates a heady mix of anticipation served with relieved, relaxed laugher. The ruthless brothel manager Leo (played with sinister intensity by Leo Horsfield) reminds us of the darker side of the industry and the characters ongoing lives. Manipulative, sly and violent, he rules by intimidation and his brooding presence is felt throughout until the film reaches its unsettling but somewhat satisfying climax.

With an upbeat, simple, one track musical score repeated throughout there's also some beautifully shot scenes of Edinburgh, always a comfort to anyone who is familiar with this amazing city. A nice extra is the entertaining end credits, Thallon keenly keeping you gripped right up until the end!

By far the strongest performances come from the talented and charismatic Horsfield and Weir, two faces which we should expect to be seeing more of in the future.

To sum up, it's dark, it's comical and it's definitely the type of film that you can watch over and get something new from it every time, particularly if you don't quite pick up all the Scottish dialect the first time. If you want an original, funny, honest and atmospheric Scottish movie then this is the one for you. If you want the stereotypical, twee Brit-flick fluff then probably not so much, but as it's such a unique venture it's worth a watch either way.

As a limited release Indie film (I tracked the DVD down through facebook) it's no surprise that it's a shamefully under praised wee gem of a movie!

Not only is Andrew Hawley totally delicious, but I found this film hilarious at last year's EIFF. Andrew was a really great fish out of water in the brothel environment, and his facial expressions reacting to the things he sees and hears really made me laugh. My favourite character was the brothel manager Leo, he makes a totally evil and creepy brothel manager, and the way he treats the girls is utterly disgusting and very realistic. I also loved how the darkness of the sauna environment was also contrasted with slapstick throughout the film, whether from the Curry Tom character, the girls and their punters, or the grunting and groaning in the gym. Rab's monologues put Frank Gallagher's monologues in Shameless to shame. Great stuff indeed.