Phil, a young wannabe DJ, works at a telemarketing company where his co-workers are lunatics, former convicts and junkies. Not ideal surroundings for someone trying to battle addiction and keep his girlfriend. Director Mars Roberge calls Scumbag “a modern version of a John Osborne play” – an apt reference to the author of Look Back in Anger, which embodied post-World War II angst.
Inspired by the fraudulent Canadian company where Roberge worked before turning to DJing (more successfully than his character), Scumbag is a dark, DIY, take-it-or-leave-it comedy with a musical pulse: a fragmented, MTV-video-clip form; a noisy punk and electronic soundtrack; in-your-face, satirical energy. The film also sports an impressive number of cameos/faces from US underground culture such as filmmaker Nick Zedd, actress Penny Arcade, porn legends Nina Hartley and Ron Jeremy, and punk singer Keith Morris.
Film details
- Countries of production
- Canada, USA
- Year
- 2017
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2017
- Length
- 114'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
