''Scrubbers'' is a 1982 British drama film directed by
Mai Zetterling
Mai Elisabeth Zetterling (; 24 May 1925 – 17 March 1994) was a Swedish film director, novelist and actor.
Early life
Zetterling was born in Västerås, Sweden to a working class family. She started her career as an actor at the age of 17 at D ...
and produced by
Don Boyd
Donald William Robertson Boyd (born 11 August 1948 in Nairn, Scotland) is a Scottish film director, producer, screenwriter and novelist. He was a Governor of the London Film School until 2016 and in 2017 was made an Honorary Professor in the Col ...
starring Amanda York,
Kathy Burke
Katherine Lucy Bridget Burke (born 13 June 1964) is an English actress, comedian, writer, producer, and director. She achieved fame with her appearances on sketch shows such as ''French and Saunders'' (1988–1999) and her recurring role as Mag ...
, and Chrissie Cotterill. It was shot primarily in
Virginia Water
Virginia Water is a commuter village in the Borough of Runnymede in northern Surrey, England. It is home to the Wentworth Estate and the Wentworth Club. The area has much woodland and occupies a large minority of the Runnymede district. Its nam ...
,
Surrey, England
Surrey () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South East England, bordering Greater London to the south west. Surrey has a large rural area, and several significant urban areas which form part of the Greater London Built-up Area ...
. It was inspired by the success of the 1979 film ''
Scum''.
A novel based on the film, and also entitled ''Scrubbers'', was written by
Alexis Lykiard and published in London by
W. H. Allen Ltd in 1982.
"Scrubbers"
Alexis Lykiard website.
Plot
Two girls escape from an open borstal
A Borstal was a type of youth detention centre in the United Kingdom, several member states of the Commonwealth and the Republic of Ireland. In India, such a detention centre is known as a Borstal school.
Borstals were run by HM Prison Service ...
. Annetta (Chrissie Cotterill) wants to visit her baby daughter who is being raised in a convent. Carol (Amanda York) plans to be recaptured and sent to the closed borstal where her girlfriend Doreen is being held. Carol's plan works, but she is devastated to find that Doreen has a new girlfriend. Doreen and the girlfriend taunt Carol. Annetta is arrested at the convent and sent to the same closed borstal. She assumes Carol "grassed" her up and proceeds to plan her revenge. Inmate Eddie professes her love for Carol and offers protection, so Carol begins a relationship with her. Annetta's constant bullying attempts keep her in solitary confinement. When Eddie is released Carol loses her protection and Annetta plans another attack.
Cast
References
External links
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{{HandMade Films
1982 films
Films directed by Mai Zetterling
Women in prison films
1982 drama films
British drama films
1980s English-language films
1980s British films