IFWT #54 - Scum(1979)

In Film We Trust · Jun 15, 2023 · 56m

While his name might not be as readily recalled as the likes of Mike Leigh or Ken Loach, Alan Clarke is an important figure in the cinematic world of social realism, and today we’re taking a deep dive into one of his most acclaimed, and controversial projects: Scum. Banned, censored and excoriated by the uptight establishment at the time and condemned by the patron saint of killjoys, Mary Whitehouse, it’s now rightfully regarded as a cult classic. Carlin, played by a young Ray Winstone, enters a borstal and immediately finds himself at the mercy of an abusive, oppressive regime that seeks to…