Swedish director Mai Zetterling filmed this tense and realistic drama set in Borstal Women’s Goal using a cast of mostly unknown young actors. The film powerfully portrays the dehumanising experiences the mostly young offenders undergo in prison but it does so without resorting to exploitation of the women or a glorification of violence. Instead Zetterling focuses on the friendships formed by the women within prison. “Scrubbers” is unavoidably confronting and disturbing - but it is also a prison film with a refreshing sense of dignity.
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How to watch
Collection
In ACMI's collection
Credits
Collection metadata
ACMI Identifier
302845
Language
English
Audience classification
R (18+)
Subject categories
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers
Courtroom, Crime, Espionage & Thrillers → Prison films
Crime, Espionage, Justice, Police & Prisons → Women prisoners
Sound/audio
Sound
Colour
Colour
Holdings
VHS; Access Print (Section 1)