Theme Song:
“Never Apart” by Kim Fields.
“Message of the Heart” by Kim Fields. Yes the same Kim Fields that played Tootie on Facts of Life. Turns out, the “delusional young actresses attempting musical careers” thing wasn’t just in the ’00s. I can’t find copies of this movie’s soundtrack anywhere, yet it clearly had one because there are detailed track listings all over the place, and there’s a song used in the movie like every 10 minutes.
“Clam Up” by The Signals is also featured. I have no prior knowledge of this song, but I thought it was good enough to include.
Interesting Dated References: A rim-job from a prostitute costing $50.
Best Line: Said to 16 year-old hooker by a john: “Where’d you get those stretch marks down there? You got a baby somewhere?”
Social Context: Somewhere at some point in time, teenage prostitution was a big problem. I don’t think it is anymore, but I don’t really go to prostitutes.
Summary: Scarred was some type of student-art film that got a grant, a budget, and a theatrical release. The director, Rose-Marie Turko, didn’t do much else after this. Neither did the main actress, Jennifer Mayo. In fact, the only person associated with this that went on to do anything substantial was Alex Cox, who has a small role and apparently worked on the film.
Scarred begins by showing our main teenage hooker, Ruby, on the phone with someone asking about her baby. After that, she tries to turn a trick and meets an older hooker named Carla, who helps her land a john.
Sometime the next day, Ruby visits her kid, then gets threatened with eviction by her landlord. Then she taps on her fish tank and smiles at her fish. The next day, Ruby tries to get into art school.
She gets rejected. When she returns to her apartment she finds her stuff gone and a new guy living there. Ruby then decides to lose the frump and turn the whoring up a notch. The first guy she picks up turns out to be a pimp named Easy who has been tracking her. After that, some “thugs” throw paint(?) at her, and then she gets arrested. The pimp Easy bails her out.
Next thing you know, Ruby is on the set of an 80s Star Wars-themed adult film trying to earn money. She uses a giant fake boob to fend off the guy she is supposed to have sex with. After all these antics, she speaks with Easy about coming to work for him, but she resists and says she wants to remain “independent.”
Then we’re suddenly immersed in an episode of Pimp Barbershop for a full minute and a half.
All the subject matter is here for a good movie, but the pacing is really boring.
Easy then yells at Carla for plotting to buy a Monza, and beats her up before splitting town. Ruby and Carla go to the ‘burbs to take care of her kid, and another Kim Fields song happens. Then Ruby sees a fellow whore getting taken advantage of and uses flour, whip cream, and other groceries to scare him away. Then all the hookers have a fun birthday party for Carla.
I feel like I’m watching a Lifetime Movie Network film written by Paul Schrader in his hey-day and directed by John Cassavetes. Some hookers argue and commit suicide. Meanwhile, Ruby hooks up with some creepy insane musician who seems modeled after Phil Spector (gun and a wig). The guy threatens her and speaks all philosophically.
Then she shoots him and has some type of acid freak-out. She has sex with Easy while Carla goes and gets her kid. Then they leave in a car to run away from life.
Poster and Box Art: Since Scarred was a student film, we can only assume that a student was hired to do the poster. That’s not a slam because the poster is great, it just doesn’t look like the poster for the movie I just watched.
Availability: A DVD is available from Amazon.
I did get pretty wasted last night.
Kim Fields had big tits…they were cool
I bet they suck now though…all floppy and shit cuz she’s way old…(yeah, that’s right, I came back in just to add that…fuck you buddy, what are u doing that’s so cool, huh?)
Just wanted to mention that that is definitely not the original poster for the film. I do have the original with the tag line “Sometimes sixteen is anything but sweet.” I played Ruby Star and this film was shot. I was 15 at most when shooting began and 18 by the time all was said and done. Very nostalgic to see this page.