Northern Soul (2014)

Set against a fairly impoverished background of the north of England in the mid 1970s, we follow the adventures of two young men who are getting to grips with life. "John" (Elliot James Langridge) and"Matt" (Josh Whitehouse) are united by the love of the burgeoning soul sound emanating from the USA and are soon hosting their own dance nights for the locals. Thing is, though the evenings themselves do quite well, they also attract some local ne'er-do-wells and events, some drug-fuelled, start to take on a more violent aspect that challenges the two men and their respective attitudes to each other, to their friends and to the music too. Insofar as it's another gritty tale of growing up in a post-industrial part a of strife-ridden nation, it works well at illustrating just how the music offered a temporary escape from the drudgery of their day to day lives. That's also probably why the narcotics culture also takes root as a diversion from the mundanity of life. It also takes a look at racial prejudice, but as the story developed I felt it became more of a social commentary designed to tick boxes rather than develop the characters in any meaningful way, or - for that matter - to immerse us in the sounds that underpinned their search for hope and opportunity. There's a surfeit of dialogue too - angry and visceral, but again - not particularly helpful in engaging us with these men or their community. It looks authentic enough - I remember wearing bell-bottomed jeans too, but doesn't really offer much new or original and plays a little to a peculiarly English view of the traditional, now declining, working class existence that seemed bent on being dark and depressing for the sake to it. It's fine, just a bit disappointing.