Film

Scary – Tattoo Therapy

A film by Uli Kick
Germany, 2006 For Television
Colour, Video/HD, 89′ min.
Original Language(s): English
Subtitles: German

He’s got tattoos all over his face and body. He’s got gold-capped teeth and studs through his eyebrows and ears. He calls himself “The Scary Guy” and he looks like the evil figures in certain movies. In fact, “Scary” is a warrior against prejudice, hate, and violence. He works in schools, police departments, detention centers, and even for the American military. He uses his skin to teach people not to get fooled by their own perception: “Skin comes in different colors and sizes – but it’s nothing but an outer shell”.

Young people have a unique experience with Scary: like a hero from their brutal media world, he enters suddenly into their sometimes no less brutal reality, but he of all people (who looks so violent himself) solves his conflicts peacefully, compassionately, with self-control and extreme composure – much cooler than with violence. Scary is a master of emotional intelligence – and Scary is a film about a radical decision.