Customer Reviews

Summer Scars

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Anyone who recalls misspent summers of youth will understand well how a single day can echo down the years. Like the similarly resonant stories of Rob Reiner's STAND BY ME, or MEAN CREEK, SUMMER SCARS captures fragile youth at a turning point, with cracks opening up to the darker adult world.

Six friends bunk off school to spend the day in the woods. Armed with a few cans of beer and some very inadequate barbecue skills, they're free to do just what 14-year-olds do best: show off, swear, fight and spend the day just hanging out together. The first reel of Julian Richards thriller is spent solely in the company of these six. Like most real kids they're certainly no angels, and might qualify as 'hoodies' in a cruder film.

Riding a stolen moped around the bumpy woodland paths, two of the gang collide with a lone adult, Peter (Kevin Howarth). They fear the worst, and leg it from the scene, but Peter is unharmed and soon emerges to join the group. Attention turns to this unknown quantity, and the focus of the group shifts. Peter seems to be 'down with the kids'. He's sympathetic, and is soon leading the gang into new scrapes.

But Peter can't be pinned down - one minute he's offering life lessons to his young charges, the next he seems more sinister, playing divide and conquer, and easily exploiting tensions by turning friends against one another. As the afternoon wears on, events take worrying turns, and it appears Peter's agenda may be closing in on the gang.

This indie thriller (from the director of THE LAST HORROR MOVIE) makes all the right moves with an engagingly 'real' cast of youngsters. Never patronising and edgy throughout, it's a heartfelt picture of fragile adolescent faiths.

When six high schoolers skip school to play in the woods, they come across a mysterious drifter named Peter (Kevin Howarth). At first, all goes smoothly as Peter joins in with the kids' games. Soon, however, he turns and begins to play with the kids in more twisted ways. As the day progresses, Peter starts playing his own games. . . until he goes too far. . .

This really is a difficult film on which to comment. From one view, it seems that it's a very uneventful story about a crazy guy screwing with some kids. On the other hand, however, it's an interesting and chilling look into a madman toying dangerously with a group of adolescents in order to teach them a series of lessons. 'Summer Scars' will definitely the type of film that will evenly divide the viewing base between boredom and intrigue, but I'm definitely leaning towards the intrigue. When looking at the film from a technical point of view, it's very good. The script is fantastic, though, as I said, seemingly uneventful. The dialogue flows well and maintains a steady realism throughout, and the realism is enhanced by some good performances from the kids and a great performance from Kevin Howarth (from director Julian Richards's previous film The Last Horror Movie). The direction & cinematography utilize the forest setting well and, even when the group is just sitting around for a period of time, never rests with exploring the area visually. Adding to the atmosphere visually, the lack of a soundtrack really helps to keep things downbeat and believable (think No Country for Old Men). On a deeper level, the film attempts to play almost like a real-world fairy tale. . . do something wrong, reap the consequences, but still come out better (mentally) when it's all finished. In the end, 'Summer Scars' is not for those looking for a plot-driven film with any real amount of action. It's a character-driven thriller that toys with the minds of the youth (and the viewers) and focuses more on lessons of morality than violence and action. If that's what you want, give this one a look.

Final Verdict: 7/10.

-AP3-

Summer Scars is genuinely unsettling. Standing out from the current morass of uninspired horror films, Richards tells his story in a sensitive and intelligent manner. This is an even greater achievement when one considers that the cast of youths, in the hands of another director, might be treated too sentimentally on one hand or exploited on the other. Richards' direction is an elegant balance between these two impulses, and as such evokes films like Ratcatcher, Mean Creek and George Washington. The horrors and the thresholds of adolesence are fully mined. The performances are excellent.

after browsing pages and pages of suggestions i found this movie, and from what i read from peoples reviews i figured id purchase it and give it a shot. but after watching about 10 minuets i was very disappointed.. i turned it off and walked away. i don know if it was the fact that i was expecting something more or what, but it fell short.. i decided to watch the whole thing in its entirety and not try to jump to any conclusions but in the end i was left with the same sentiments.. don't get me wrong the cinematography wasn't too bad and the actors were decent..but alas, it just DIDN'T DO ANYTHING FOR ME.. definitely NOT worth 10 bucks let alone 2 dollars

This was by far one of the best movie I have seen this year. It had action, drama and anything else you may look for in a movie. I would tell anyone to buy this movie. It is about a group of kids who go into the woods only to find a man who is crazy off the wall. He is a control freak who wants to make the teens do things his way and only his way. The group is made up of all boys and one girl and towards the end it is a little creepy at what he made them do. I gave it a five star rating and would buy it again. I don't want to give anything away about the substance of the movie but I don't think you would be disappointed in purchasing it for you dvd collection.

I didn't have any expectations regarding this film. Plot is basically about a group of kids with bad attitudes who encounter an old creepy guy in the woods. There's plenty to work with but I think this movie fell short because of what didn't happen plot-wise. I still managed to enjoy it though,