Summer Scars

Summer Scars is a 2007 British thriller film produced and directed by Julian Richards. It is based on a hostage situation that Richards experienced during his childhood. The cast includes Kevin Howarth, Ciaran Joyce, Amy Harvey, Darren Evans, Jonathan Jones, Chris Conway, Ryan Conway and Chole Parfitt.

Summer Scars
Film Poster
Directed byJulian Richards
Produced byJulian Richards
Mike Tims
Written byJulian Richards
Al Wilson
Release date
Running time
73 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Budget£135,000[2]

Plot

Six youths ditch school for the woods, where some hotrodding on a stolen moped changes the fate of their day. They crash into Peter, a dishevelled drifter, who is delighted to have a group of teens to hang out with. First he gains their trust by joining in their games, but then his behaviour changes. Peter uses what he has learned about the kids against them, bullying the alpha boys, belittling the weaker ones and saving his worst for the only girl in the group. Realising too late that they are being held hostage, the kids are forced to embrace the dark side of human nature in order to survive the ordeal.

Cast

Release

The film had a limited UK theatrical release in 2009 by the Institute of Contemporary Arts (ICA) in their screening season for 'New British Cinema'. In 2008, Summer Scars was released on DVD in North America by TLA Releasing on their Danger After Dark label. In 2009, the film was released on DVD in the UK by Soda Pictures. Other DVD distributors include MIG Film GmbH (German speaking Europe), MCF Megacom (Former Yugoslavia), Wide Pictures (Spain), Sahamongkol Film International (Thailand) and Viswas (India).

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes, a review aggregator, reports that 70% of ten surveyed critics gave the film a positive review; the average rating was 5.6/10. The site's consensus reads: "This low budget British psycho-thriller packs plenty of atmospheric tension and suspense into its slender running time."[3] Summer Scars has been linked with other, roughly contemporaneous, films that deal with concerns over "Broken Britain" and a fear of "hoodies", including Harry Brown, Eden Lake, The Disappeared, Outlaw, The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael and Heartless.[4]

Kurt Dahlke of DVD Talk rated it 4/5 stars and called it "lean, mean, disturbing and deftly crafted".[5] Josh Winning of Total Film rated it 3/5 stars and called it a "bare-boned tween nightmare" that is a combination of Stand by Me and Eden Lake.[6] Nigel Floyd of Time Out London rated it 3/5 stars and wrote, "An inexperienced cast don't always make the most of a slippery, unsettling script".[7] Andrew Pulver of The Guardian rated it 2/5 stars and wrote, "There's not much to recommend in this putative hoodie horror from Julian Richards, which takes the inverse position to Eden Lake."[8]

Awards
OrganizationAwardRecipientResultYearRef
BAFTA CymruBest NewcomerAl WilsonWon2008[9]
Best TitlesCraig WilkinsonWon2008[9]
Best FilmJulian RichardsNominated2008[10]
Canada International Film FestivalBest Foreign FeatureSummer ScarsWon2009[11]
London Independent Film FestivalBest DirectorJulian RichardsWon2008[12]
Fantastic FestBest ActorKevin HowarthWon2007[13]

References
  1. Blaney, Martin (7 September 2007). "UK and US films open world and international premieres in Oldenburg". Screen Daily. Retrieved 27 August 2014.
  2. "Horror film Summer Scars cuts up festival circuit". Wales Online. 18 June 2009. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  3. "Summer Scars (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  4. Graham, Jane (5 November 2009). "Hoodies strike fear in British cinema". The Guardian. Retrieved 21 August 2011.
  5. Dahlke, Kurt (20 October 2008). "Summer Scars". DVD Talk. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  6. Winning, Josh (26 May 2009). "Summer Scars". Total Film. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  7. Floyd, Nigel (2 June 2009). "Summer Scars (15)". Time Out London. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  8. Pulver, Andrew (4 June 2009). "Summer Scars". The Guardian. Retrieved 8 June 2014.
  9. "Welsh Baftas 2008: Winners". Broadcast. 28 April 2008. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  10. Mitchell, Wendy (7 April 2008). "BAFTA Wales film nominees include Summer Scars, Daddy's Girl". Screen Daily. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  11. "2009 Winners". Canada International Film Festival. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  12. Dawtrey, Adam (22 April 2008). "'Ruby Blue' wins London festival". Variety. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
  13. Siebalt, Joshua (28 January 2008). "New Pic, Festival Dates for Summer Scars!". Dread Central. Retrieved 28 August 2014.
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