The Scouting Book for Boys

The Scouting Book for Boys is a 2009 British drama thriller film directed by Tom Harper in his directorial debut, produced by Ivana MacKinnon and written by Jack Thorne. It stars Thomas Turgoose, Holliday Grainger, Rafe Spall, Susan Lynch, Tony Maudsley and Steven Mackintosh.

The Scouting Book for Boys
Directed by	Tom Harper
Written by	Jack Thorne
Produced by	Ivana Mackinnon
Starring	Thomas Turgoose Holliday Grainger Rafe Spall Susan Lynch Tony Maudsley Steven Mackintosh
Cinematography	Robbie Ryan
Edited by	Mark Eckersley
Music by	Jack C. Arnold
Production companies	Pathé Film4 Productions Celador Films Screen East
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release dates	21 September 2009 (2009-09-21) (San Sebastián) 19 March 2010 (2010-03-19) (United Kingdom)
Running time	93 minutes[1]
Country	United Kingdom
Language	English
Budget	£1 million

The film premiered internationally at the San Sebastián International Film Festival and domestically at the BFI London Film Festival.

Plot

Fourteen-year-old David (Thomas Turgoose) is spending the summer hanging out with Emily (Holly Grainger), the only other teenager in his trailer park. When her mum, Sharon (Susan Lynch), loses custody, Emily refuses to live with her father and convinces David to help her hide in a cave. While he brings Emily supplies and keeps her secret, the police investigate her disappearance – and soon uncover Emily's relationship with her mother's boyfriend, Steve (Rafe Spall), igniting David's jealousy.

Cast

• Thomas Turgoose as David
• Holliday Grainger as Emily
• Rafe Spall as Steve
• Susan Lynch as Sharon
• Tony Maudsley as Jim
• Steven Mackintosh as DI Kertzer
• Ann Eisley as Lucy
• Ewan Macintosh as Charlie
• Ruth Wellman as Mrs. Fry
• Lorraine Bruce as Betty
• Candice Manning as Candice

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 55% of 22 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.2/10.^[2]