Member review

The Scouting Book For Boys is a dreary affair that revels in making you, the viewer, as humanly miserable as possible. This film tells the tale of two young teens, David and Emily, who live on a cravan park in Norfolk. David is played by Thomas Turgoose whos appearance was not surprising in the least seen as this film is affiliated with Film4, and to be honest his acting skill seems to have one level; to look like a sad, wet puppy lost in the woods. Emily is played by Holliday Grainger, whos performance was actually pretty good (albeit stereotypical and cliche). The film is basically all about Davids love for emily and how we wants to protect after she runs away from her Mother, who has just so happened to lose the custody of her daughter because she's an alcoholic Amy Winehouse look-a-like. Emily decides life would be better if she lived in a cave and had David bring her food and sleeping bags while he pretends he has no idea where she is. Of course the 'people' inisde of the caravan park hunt for Emily, with Emily's Mother's boyfriend being centre of suspicions because he was seen kissing Emily prior to her dissapearance. Of course there could have been a massive neon sign above this guys head saying 'I'm a scumbag' and his character development wouldn't have suffered in any way. The film is miserable. It's not even sad, it's just a pile of misery that aims to upset and depress anyone who watches it. There was no sense of loss, no real regret or redemption; it was bleak and grey with a pallet that resembled an etch-a-sketch. The sheer lack of any kind of tangible emotion just made the film feel heavy and lethargic, like it was trudging the cemetery but didn't know who's grave it was visiting. The characters are drab and offer no relatable features, not even David who's supposedly in love. The cinematography is epic though, with a huge range of shots all nicely thought out and framed excellently. This can't save the film though because it doesn't matter how you frame an ultimately dull film. Overall The Scouting Book For Boys is a lesson in how to nicely frame a dead horse; it doesn't convey anything at all, no ideas, no emotion, no point. If I could have my time back I'd rather visit a morgue, at least there's no vibrancy there for a reason.