Review by Adam Stephen Kelly
Featuring David Carradine, Julie Benz, Mackenzie Crook, Danny Dyer, Mick Foley, Udo Kier,
Kaiser Chiefs, John Landis, Jason Mewes, Warwick Davis | Written by Sousila Pillay & SJ Evans
UK Certification E | UK RRP £12.99 | DVD Region 2 | Runtime 97 minutes | Directed by SJ Evans
To most, including me, the world of body modification is fascinating simply because it's perceived as a social oddity. I'm not referring to one or two tattoos, but the extremes of that world, from entire bodies being inked, to implants under the skin. Sousila Pillay shared my fascination and decided to, herself having never had any body modification other than piercings, explore and document the realm where the lines between art and tastelessness are always blurred.
Everyone has a strong opinion on tattoos, and they're usually wildly different from person to person, which this documentary wonderfully tells. Some hate them, some don't mind them, and some love them. Perhaps a step further from love itself is addiction, which this film proves exists in body modification, where the penetration of needles induces a high and leads people to having further work done just so they can experience the euphoric feeling again.
Tattoos: A Scarred History encompasses such a wide range of opinions and digs deep into the pros and cons, taking the viewer on a visual journey. Do ink-bearing celebrities like David Beckham and Angelina Jolie influence the general public into getting tattoos? A whole host of famous folk are surveyed, from film-maker John Landis and the late David Carradine, to Ana Matronic from the Scissor Sisters and professional wrestler Mick Foley. How much is too much? Men and women alike share their views on what they believe is acceptable, showing everything from full-colour genital tattoos to the mere contemplation of getting a little butterfly somewhere on the body. This documentary answers all the questions that you will have about tattoos and piercings.
The dark side of body mods reveals the sickening reality of backstreet tattooists, who have spread Hepatitis C in underage children with dirty needles, as well as flesh-eating diseases that have actually claimed lives. But every cloud has a silver lining, right? Meet a courageous woman who survived cancer and had to have her breasts rebuilt. She decides to recreate certain atamotical parts as a tattoo. Personally I find that to be an inspiring story.
The only negative comments I have to make about this film are that, firstly, it's mostly in black and white, which seems quite unneeded being that it's a documentary, and secondly, that a few times throughout, the segments that feature Sousila introducing the next subject and giving her opinions feel a little too rehearsed, but research shows that she is an actress. It's totally forgivable, however.
This documentary is quite likely to change your views about body modification and completely alter the questions that you may have had prior to viewing. Should anyone truly find it necessary to spit on or even kill someone with tattoos and piercings simply because they desire to be artistic with their own bodies? Should you even give them an odd look? It's a powerful piece of film-making and I would urge anyone to check it out.
EXTRAS ★★★ Raw and uncut interviews with David Carradine, Ana Matronic, Mick Foley, Danny Dyer, and the Kaiser Chiefs; unseen celebrity survey; deleted scenes; trailer; the music video for Leather Zoo's 'Stranger'; a video featuring Kyra Sedgwick promoting Angelwish, the charity that a portion of the proceeds from the film will go to; and Tattoo History 101: a self-explanatory, short and rather pointless animation.