Spud

2010 1h 47m EN

👍

7.0

SOLID

🍅

80%

FRESH

⭐

6.6

IMDB

★7.0TMDB · 56🍅80%Rotten Tomatoes★6.6IMDB · 2,879

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

It's South Africa 1990. Two major events are about to happen: The release of Nelson Mandela and, more importantly, it's Spud Milton's first year at an elite boys only private boarding school. Spud is a boy from an ordinary background who wins a scholarship to a private school in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. Surrounded by boys with nicknames like Gecko, Rambo, Rain Man and Mad Dog, Spud has his hands full trying to adapt to his new home.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Troye Sivan
John 'Spud' Milton
John Cleese
Mr. 'The Guv' Edly
Jamie Royal
Henry 'Gecko' Barker
Sven Ruygrok
Robert 'Rambo' Black
Blessing Xaba
Sidney 'Fatty' Sibeko-Scott
Tom Burne
Vern 'Rain Man' Blackadder
Josh Goddard
Charlie 'Mad Dog' Hooper
Travis Hornsby
Alan 'Boggo' Greenstein

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Donovan Marsh
Writers: Donovan Marsh
Languages: English
Countries: South Africa

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Earned back only 60% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Spud Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

CAST

Did you know

244+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Donovan Marsh, shot by Lance Gewer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Ed Jordan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Megan Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Donovan Marsh directs. Lance Gewer behind the camera. Ed Jordan scores. Megan Gill cuts. A commercial under-performer on release. Produced in South Africa. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $4.0M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
2Earned back only 60% of its budget on initial theatrical — a commercial disappointment on release.
3Released 16 years ago.
4Part of the "Spud Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
5244+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
6Directed by Donovan Marsh, shot by Lance Gewer. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
7Original score by Ed Jordan. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
8Editor Megan Gill shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
9Troye Sivan and John Cleese and Jamie Royal carry the top of the cast.
10IMDB entry: tt1059969 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
11Only 56 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
12Classified under 14 themes, including "private school", "south africa", "bully", "teen angst".