Summer Scars

The basic premise of a gang of teenagers acting tough and being confronted with real life violence that is the main outline for "Summer Scars" could be interesting for a psychological thriller. We had the subject in movies like Eden Lake where it got carried over the top or in Stuck with the gangsta who shits his pants when having to put his tough words to work. "Summer scars" rather starts out like a modern version of "stand by me" with a group of youngsters going to the woods to have fun with a stolen moped and some beers. The gang is introduced with 5 guys and a girl having some bullying issues, one guy having a crush on the girl and 2 brothers of which 1 is paralyzed and carried into the woods without his wheelchair. 2 of them drive through the woods and hit a guy with their moped who soon meets the gang and introduces himself as Peter. He isn't angry about the hit-and-round and tries to make friends with the group but after some mindless fun his face starts to change. From here on this could have worked out to be a psychological chiller since Peter is unpredictable and unstable. At first he shows the gang tricks, then he plays mind games trying to turn them on each other. But he obviously has issues himself, wears a pellet gun and talks about the army, gets headaches and soon threatens the gang. All this just turns out leading absolutely nowhere... the mind-games are half-hearted, we never get to know why Peter acts so strange and back stories like the 2 brothers and the story behind the 1 getting into the accident that paralyzed him are picked up and dropped while you expect it to be implemented in Peters mind games with the kids. And pretty much everything works out like that... it all just seems an incoherent mess that ends in a silly way like "stand by me". I couldn't pull any message or experience out of all this which leaves this as a real low budget movie shot one a cheap one location somewhere in the woods. I think the actors did a good job but I will have forgotten about all this within a week because the story is just way to tame and bouncing around from left to right with barely any real tension building after Peter turns out to be a little psycho.

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 much of Shane Meadows's work, 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's low budget drama 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 (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 low-budget indie thriller 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.

Set in Great Britain with young kids who think they are punks. They are young and listen to foul rap lyrics, and think of themselves as tough kids. They steal a motor bike, and head off to a wooded area where they have sort of a camp. Joy riding on the bike, they hit a man on the trail, so they abandon the bike and run back to the camp. But along comes the man. He says he won't hurt them, but he feels they need a little toughening up. They need more fortitude, and he can give that to them. He says he don't hurt anyone but he has a pellet gun to enforce his will. Towards the end of the movie, it takes a dark turn. A very dark turn. And that will leave scars.

I could've also written "Down and dirty" as a headline, but I chose the nice try one. It is actually a really nice movie. It has dark drama and psychological subtext to it. Some very disturbing scenes and feels very "real".

The actors enhance your impression of the rawness and the realness of the movie. Whethere you think that is a good thing or not, is entirely up to you. Which will also be leaning your likeness for or against the movie. That some sociological problems are brought up to, is another good point for the movie. Entertainment this ain't, especially because it's not afraid to pull punches ... Which is also it's downfall at any given moment. Still worth a look!

Watched this film first time last night, Typical teenagers, innocent but naughty, they then get caught up with a drifter they come across whilst enjoying themselves in the woods, shows you how easily things can change for the worse when someone like this, manipulative lying bullying etc can do, their day changes for ever after the drifter invites himself to their company.

Sometimes films like this are either badly acted or they are grim & depressing but this was neither.

Not sure where it was filmed but somewhere in South Wales Great little Welsh actors !! Hope they go far.

Well done. 10/10.