DVD Review: SKET

STUDIO: Revolver Entertainment | DIRECTOR: Nirpal Bhogal | CAST: Ashley Walters, Emma Hartley Miller, Lily Loveless, Riann Steele, Katie Foster Barnes
BLU-RAY & DVD RELEASE DATE: 7/3/2012 | PRICE: DVD $19.98, Blu-ray $47.98
BONUSES: featurettes
SPECS: Not Rated | 87 min. | Crime

RATINGS (out of 5 dishes): Movie | Audio | Video | Overall

Teen girls take back their streets in the British movie SKET.

The independent film, which was an official selection at the 2011 London Film Festival, falls short thanks to a slim script, but it has promise.

The movie tells the story of teen Kayla (Aimee Kelly), a recent transplant to London from Newcastle with her older sister after the death of their mother. Kayla gets enthralled by a gang of London girls who are quick to beat up a couple of guys who won’t leave Kayla alone on the bus — and when we say beat up, we mean push, punch, kick, BEAT UP.

When Kayla’s sister is attacked and put in hospital, she turns to her newfound friends, but the man behind the beating, drug dealer Trey, is perhaps even too dangerous for the gang of girls. Still, Kayla will do anything to get revenge.

The premise is good. It’s nice to see girls on the strong end in a drug movie for a change. The problem is that, other than Kayla, the characters are too two-dimensional. The story, too, doesn’t have the depth that makes a truly great, on the edge of your seat story.

American audiences might find subtitles useful for some of the thicker accents, but the action does show the story well enough. And the almost constantly pounding soundtrack might drag on the ears of some.

SKET is the first feature film from writer/director Nirpal Bhogal, whose short career so far includes directing an episode of British television series Misfits. Although his writing is lacking, in his direction, Bhogal has good instincts, and we’d definitely like to see more of his work as he grows his skills. He brings out the emotions of his young actors and chooses good shots to show without telling. It’s easy to understand why he was nominated for Best Newcomer in the director category in the 2011 London Film Festival.

Unfortunately, the movie isn’t helped on the DVD by the transfer, which was done badly and shows horizontal lines whenever there’s movement.

The DVD has a decent amount of special features for an indie title. Despite some audio and visual quality issues, the making-of featurette includes interviews with Bhogal, the cast and others. All the actresses in the film’s girl gang discuss their characters’ motivations. The featurette also includes screentest and rehearsal footage.

Another featurette, “On Set,” captures some fun behind-the-scenes footage, including some bloopers and Kelly demonstrating some different Britishisms for “throw.”

Bhogal and the cast further discuss the movie in a Q&A from a screening, including the film’s consultants who were in a girl gang in London when they were younger.

Also included on the DVD is a music video of the movie’s pounding theme song and a quick promotional interview with the actresses.

Buy or Rent SKET
DVD | Blu-ray