''Scarborough'' is a 2018 British

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...

written and directed by Barnaby Southcombe. Set in the town of Scarborough, the story follows two couples who both have a teacher/pupil relationship and are conducting their affairs against a backdrop of the questionable nature of their relationships. It stars

Jessica Barden Jessica Amy Barden (born 21 July 1992) is an English actress. She began her career as a child actress. She is best known for her role as Alyssa in the Channel 4 comedy-drama ''The End of the F***ing World'' (2017–2019). She received a British ...

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, and

Jodhi May Jodhi Tania May (''née'' Hakim-Edwards; 8 May 1975) is a British actress. She remains the youngest recipient of the Best Actress award at the Cannes Film Festival, for ''A World Apart'' (1988). Her other film appearances include ''The Last o ...

as the two couples. It premiered at the

Warsaw Film Festival Warsaw Film Festival ( pl, Warszawski Festiwal Filmowy, abbreviated as WFF) is an annual film festival held every October in Warsaw, Poland which previews new films of all genres, including documentaries from all around the world. The festival ha ...

on 13 October 2018, and was theatrically released in the United Kingdom on 6 September 2019, by

Kaleidoscope Entertainment Kaleidoscope Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (or KEPL) is an Indian film and television production company. Films produced by them include ''Bandit Queen'', ''Fire'', '' Electric Moon'', '' Saathiya'', ''Maqbool'', '' American Daylight'', and '' Mangal ...

Plot

Two couples check into a run-down hotel on the sea-front in Scarborough. Two of the people involved are "barely sixteen" and the other two are their teachers. The dynamics of the teacher/pupil relationship is put to the test over two weekends in Scarborough. Whilst it seems that the couples are aware of each other's presence, they do not interact with each other.

Cast

as Beth *

as Daz *

as Aiden *

as Liz * Daniel York as Hotel Manager

Production

The film was adapted for screen by its director, Barnaby Southcombe, who saw the original play ''Scarborough'', written by Fiona Evans, at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial West End theatre in Sloane Square, in the Royal ...

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

in 2008. The play was first acted in

Edinburgh Edinburgh ( ; gd, Dùn Èideann ) is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. Historically part of the county of Midlothian (interchangeably Edinburghshire before 1921), it is located in Lothian ...

, but the original script sets the characters in a

bed and breakfast Bed and breakfast (typically shortened to B&B or BnB) is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast. Bed and breakfasts are often private family homes and typically have between four and eleven rooms, wit ...

in Scarborough, as opposed to a hotel. Principal photography took place in the seaside town of Scarborough in

North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is the largest ceremonial county (lieutenancy area) in England, covering an area of . Around 40% of the county is covered by national parks, including most of the Yorkshire Dales and the North York Moors. It is one of four cou ...

from May 2017. The hotel used in the production is The Grand Hotel which overlooks the South Bay in Scarborough, though for the film it is renamed as ''The Metropole''.

Release

The film was screened at the

in October 2018 and at the

Macao Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a po ...

International Festival of Film in December 2018. The production will receive its UK premiere in the Stephen Joseph Theatre in the town of Scarborough on 6 September 2019, and will also receive a limited showing in some towns across

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

before its full UK release in September 2019. The film is one of 15 international films showcased at the

Hof International Film Festival The Hof International Filmfestival is a German film festival that takes place in Hof, Bavaria, every year in October. Apart from numerous foreign productions, the main focus traditionally is on German films. During six festival days, about 130 f ...

2019, and will receive its Canadian premiere in September 2019 at the

Vancouver International Film Festival The Vancouver International Film Festival (VIFF) is an annual film festival held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, for two weeks in late September and early October. The festival is operated by the Greater Vancouver International Film Fest ...

Reception

The film was previewed at the

in October 2018, where one reviewer stated "Barnaby Southcombe’s seaside love story soars and never loses its footloose fun reflected in Ian Leggett’s energetic hand-held camera and limpid widescreen seascapes." The film was also nominated for best film at the Transilvania International Film Festival, where one writer stated that "The hand-held camera increases the feeling that we are intruding on the characters’ most intimate moments, but this is a sensation that the film’s parallel editing prevents from sinking in too deep. Southcombe’s decision to alternate between the scenes showing the two couples hints at the fact that the stories unfold simultaneously." Gráinne Humphreys, the director of the

Dublin International Film Festival The Dublin International Film Festival (DIFF; ) is an annual film festival held in Dublin, Ireland, since 2003. History Dublin International Film Festival was established in 2003. It was revived by Michael Dwyer, international film critic and ...

said

Accolades

References

External links

* * {{Rotten Tomatoes, scarborough, Scarborough
Embargo Films webpage
Films set in Yorkshire Films shot in North Yorkshire 2018 films 2018 drama films British drama films Juvenile sexuality in films Films about scandalous teacher–student relationships Scarborough, North Yorkshire 2010s English-language films 2010s British films