Tattoos: A Scarred History

Ignore what that other guy wrote, this is an interesting little documentary that takes you on a journey of self discovery with a young woman as she discovers about tattoos and the amount they mean to people.

Granted it is low budget and therefore rough around the edges in places, and some of the shots are obvious but as a whole it opens your eyes to experiences you may never of seen before e.g. tongue splitting and gives a nice message at the end about tolerance to others.

As for the opening, no it isn't a tattoo, but it belongs in a tattooing community, plus she CLEARLY states it's about tattoos AND body modification from the intro.

The film contains humor, genuine emotional sections and some amazing art work though maybe a bit too long in time.

To be honest, I wasn't expecting much when I saw this. How many times have we seen so called documentaries on this topic before on Channel 4? Usually they aim for shock value and a hint of 'oh look at these freaks'.

What shocked me about this doco was the fact it wasn't aiming for the easy angle and cheap shocks. There's a genuine interest in the subject and it's not all tattoos. The celeb interviews are interesting and the viewer will come away from this with if not a new perspective then a bit more informed.

Yes, you can tell it's done on a budget but there's nothing wrong with that. In fact, it achieves a lot more than similar programs with much greater funds and just goes to highlight the lack of skill involved in the making of these 'body shock' shows. Give this a watch if you can.

I watched Tattoos: A Scarred History at a special charity event. As someone without any tattoos I didn't really have that much interest in it, but since it was for charity I went along. The film opens with possibly the most absorbing sequence I've ever seen in the cinema. A thing called the human harp certainly sets the tone for what the film was about.

After the initial shock the film settles to follow a woman's journey to discover why tattoos have become so popular, I found some of the topics obvious while others were riveting and raised many questions of my own. After a selection of 'celebrity' interviews (including the late David Carradine) 20 minutes in, the film turns into a gripping, can't stop watching documentary covering all angles of a topic I didn't realize was so massive!

Probably more shocking than any clips of self mutilation or a particularly graphic tattoo of Princess Diana, was the investigation into eBay allowing the sales of dodgy equipment and the abuse of people with body modification, it really made me look at people with facial tattoos/piercings in a whole new light.

I would certainly recommend watching this if it gets a general release, not only is it raising money for a good cause, but also really makes you look at society as a whole and how we judge simply on appearance.