The French. They love wine; food, particularly snails; and love itself. And if the recent trend by their directors are anything to go by, you can add prison dramas to the list. 2010 has seen two very different French directors release two very different takes on behind bars antics.

Jacque Audiard directed A Prophet which was nominated for Best Language Film at this year’s Oscars (losing out to The Secret in their Eyes); while Kim Chapiron decided to set his story in a US correctional facility for juvenile delinquents.

Butch (Adam Butcher), Davis (Shane Kippel) and Angel (Mateo Morales) are three teenagers who have been caught doing the crime, so now have to do the time. The crimes they committed weren’t exactly worthy of a place on death row, but deemed serious enough to have them sent to Montana’s Enola Vale Youth Correctional Facility. With no PS3’s or Xbox 360’s in sight, the place is run like a military camp – a bit like Porridge but without the laughs.

They soon realise that Enola Vale is no summer camp experience. With few places to hide, it appears that trouble has no problem finding them. Not only that, trouble doesn’t mind stamping its size 12’s on their heads over and over. It may not be up there with Alcatraz, but the trio are going to have to do more than keep their heads down to survive.

Listen, I've seen the auditions for X factor before and none of the others had to be naked?

Whether intentionally or not, Chapiron has essentially directed Scum-Lite. Not only does the main story itself echo that of Alan Clarke’s 1979 classic, it also mimics its claustrophobia and overwhelming sense of hopelessness. The only real difference between the two is the level of brutality they stoop to; Dog Pound has its fair share of violence, but it’s fair to say that Ray Winstone’s Carlin in Scum is still the daddy.

Despite its lack of originality, Chapiron has still managed to deliver a fresh modern take on the prison drama genre, albeit one without any twists. He certainly couldn’t be accused of glamming up the institution, as everything about the film – from its brave, unpolished performances from its young cast, to its visual palette – is extremely muted.

It’s a gritty and poignant indictment of a system that appears to be struggling on almost all levels in its attempt to rehabilitate offenders.

It’s safe to say that it’s not an easy watch; but sometimes it’s good for an audience to be confronted with some kind of ugly. But that was surely Chapiron’s goal: to create a film that tells it how it is, and doesn’t hold back. In fact if Larry Clark (Kids, Bully) were to ever direct a film about young offenders, this is exactly what he would make.

Dog Pound not only has the bite to back up its bark, but it also has a heart; just don’t expect it to be all tied up in a frilly ribbon by the film’s conclusion.