''Scarfies'' (released as ''Crime 101'' in the United States) is a 1999 New Zealand

black comedy Black comedy, also known as dark comedy, morbid humor, or gallows humor, is a style of comedy that makes light of subject matter that is generally considered taboo, particularly subjects that are normally considered serious or painful to discus ...

film set in the southern university city of

Dunedin Dunedin ( ; mi, Ōtepoti) is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand (after Christchurch), and the principal city of the Otago region. Its name comes from , the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Th ...

. The film's original title comes from the local nickname for university students, scarfie, so called because of the traditional blue and gold scarves worn by students during the city's cool winters in support of the

Otago Rugby Football Union The Otago Rugby Football Union is the official governing body of rugby union for the Otago region of New Zealand. The union is based in the city of Dunedin, and its home ground is Forsyth Barr Stadium. The top representative team competes in t ...

Plot

''Scarfies'' starts off as a light comedy centred on a group of five students who get together after moving into a flat that is seemingly abandoned, but still has the power on, making it a free but filthy accommodation. The film twists into something darker part way through, with elements of both black comedy and thriller. The discovery of a large crop of marijuana being grown in the basement leads firstly to euphoria, then paranoia and arguments amongst the flatmates about what will happen when the real owners come back to collect it. When Kevin, the crop's owner appears, the students fear for their lives and lock him in the basement. Events unfold against a backdrop of the city's biggest sporting event for years, the final of New Zealand's

national rugby championship The National Rugby Championship, known as NRC, was an Australian rugby union competition. It was contested by eight teams, seven from Australia and one from Fiji. The tournament ran from 2014 until 2019 before being disbanded in 2020 following t ...

Cast

Willa O'Neill Willa O'Neill is an actress from New Zealand. Biography O'Neill is a two-time Film Award winner at the New Zealand Film and TV Awards. Her first award, for Best Supporting Actress, came for her role in the 1997 film ''Topless Women Talk About ...

as Emma * Neill Rea as Scott *Ashleigh Seagar as Nicola * Taika Cohen as Alex *Charlie Bleakley as Graham *Jon Brazier as Kevin *Mark Neilson as Gordy

Production

Despite the deliberate use of shots focusing on the city's dowdier and darker elements, much of the film's photography and soundtrack is an homage to the city, including the use of several

Dunedin sound The Dunedin sound was a style of indie pop music created in the southern New Zealand university city of Dunedin in the early 1980s. Characteristics According to Matthew Bannister, Dunedin sound "was typically marked by the use of droning or ...

songs in the soundtrack (top local band

The Clean The Clean was a New Zealand indie rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1978. They have been described as the most influential band to come from the Flying Nun label, which recorded many artists associated with the "Dunedin sound".Schmidt, Andr ...

even make a cameo appearance during the film). The film initially had a small production budget of $250,000, but later received an additional $1.6 million in funding from the

New Zealand Film Commission The New Zealand Film Commission (NZFC; mi, Te Tumu Whakaata Taonga) is a New Zealand government agency formed to assist with creating and promoting New Zealand films. It was established under the New Zealand Film Commission Act 1978 (as amende ...

Reception

''Scarfies'' was well-received, described as ''"...the most outlandishly entertaining New Zealand film for years..."'', and did well at the box-office.

Soundtrack

#''Save My Life'' –

Bike A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

#''Outer Space'' –

3Ds The is a handheld game console produced by Nintendo. It was announced in March 2010 and unveiled at E3 2010 as the successor to the Nintendo DS. The system features backward compatibility with Nintendo DS video games. As an eighth-generatio ...

#''

George George may refer to: People * George (given name) * George (surname) * George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George * George Washington, First President of the United States * George W. Bush, 43rd Presiden ...

'' –

Headless Chickens The Headless Chickens was a New Zealand band. Going against the grain of the Dunedin sound that dominated the Flying Nun Records roster at the time, the Headless Chickens made extensive use of electronic instruments in their music. History ...

#''Doledrums'' –

The Chills The Chills are a New Zealand rock band that formed in Dunedin in 1980. The band is essentially the continuing project of singer/songwriter Martin Phillipps, who is the group's sole constant member. For a time in the 1990s, the act was billed a ...

#''Let There Be Love'' –

JPS Experience The Jean-Paul Sartre Experience, later renamed JPS Experience after the estate of Jean-Paul Sartre threatened a lawsuit, were an indie rock band on New Zealand's Flying Nun Records. History The band was formed in 1984 by Dave Yetton (vocals, b ...

#''Tally Ho'' –

#''Suck'' –

Love's Ugly Children Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores, doing business as Love's (or stylized as Loves), is an American family-owned chain of more than 500 truck stop and convenience stores in 41 states in the United States. The company is privately owned and hea ...

#''Cactus Cat'' –

Look Blue Go Purple Look Blue Go Purple were a New Zealand alternative rock band from Dunedin, active from 1983 to 1987, recognised as part of the "second wave" of the Dunedin sound. Their first official show was at The Broome Valley Festival on 5 March 1983. M ...

#''Gaze'' – Bike #''Randolph's Going Home'' –

Shayne Carter Shayne P. Carter is a New Zealand musician best known for leading Straitjacket Fits from 1986 to 1994, and as the only permanent member of Dimmer (1995–2012). Carter is a member of the New Zealand Music Hall of Fame, and has been awarded the ...

and

Peter Jefferies Peter Jefferies is a musician from New Zealand. He is known for his involvement with Nocturnal Projections and This Kind of Punishment as well as his extensive solo and collaborative work. History In 1981 Peter and his brother Graeme Jeffer ...

#'' Death and the Maiden'' –

The Verlaines The Verlaines are a New Zealand rock band from Dunedin. Formed in 1981 by Graeme Downes, Craig Easton, Anita Pillai, Phillip Higham and Greg Kerr, the band went through multiple line-ups. History The band was named after French poet Paul Ver ...

#''She Speeds'' –

Straitjacket Fits Straitjacket Fits formed in Dunedin, New Zealand in 1986 and were a prominent band in the Flying Nun label's second wave of the Dunedin sound. Biography Like many of their Flying Nun stable-mates, the band hailed from the southern city of Dun ...

#''Grey Parade'' – JPS Experience

References

External links

* 1999 films New Zealand black comedy films Films set in New Zealand Films shot in New Zealand Dunedin in fiction 1999 comedy films 1990s black comedy films Stoner films Films about cannabis University of Otago 1990s English-language films {{NewZealand-film-stub