Scarred

Sometimes Sixteen Is Anything But Sweet.

Ruby Star is a runaway teenage mom facing many problems: a baby, no family and no job. When all else fails, she turns to prostitution in the streets of Hollywood and soon discovers a hierarchy of pimps and hookers who rule with iron fist and won't allow her to work as an independent. After a series of brutal lessons in both the legitimate and illegitimate world, Ruby reluctantly agrees to a strictly business arrangement with Carla, a thirty year old black prostitute who takes her under her wing, and Easy, her charismatic but gambling white pimp. This arrangement however undermines Easy's standing in the pimp community and triggers a series of dramatic ripples and upheavals. A revealing, heartfelt portrait of life in the underbelly of America where racism still flourishes, 'welfare' is a dirty word to those who need it most, and monetary gain the cold priority, be it Ruby's fruitless consult with the Women's Vocational Institute, or the economics of pimping. Shot on Hollywood boulevard with a fusion of colors, the film combines a spunky core of truth and innocence, a fine performance by its young star, Jennifer Mayo, an excellent rock score, and surprising moments of humor, including a hilarious send-up of blue movie-making and Ruby's noirish encounter with the john from hell, a crazed, Phil Spector-like musician on Halloween night.