Marking its UK release on 27 August, SoulBoy is tipped to do for the soul scene what Quadrophenia did for the Mods. While that might be stretching things a little, the British production (co-produced by the North East’s Ipso Facto films) nevertheless is something of a minor masterpiece. With an excellent cast led by Martin Compston and the inimitable Felicity Jones, SoulBoy – which documents the impact Northern Soul had in the North West in the early 70’s – offers an honest, heartfelt and darkly humourous depiction of the era-defining movement.
Watch our exclusive chat with producer Christine Alderson and screenwriter Jeff Williams at the film’s North East premiere…
Mobile users can click here to see the video
Amidst power cuts, strikes and race-driven aggro on the football terraces, restless seventeen-year-old Joe McCain is bored with a life that seems to be going nowhere. Dabbling in petty theft with best friend Russ Mountjoy to subsidise his nine-to-five job as a delivery van driver, it’s only when blonde and brassy hairdresser Jane enters his world and introduces him to the sound of Northern Soul that his life looks like it’s on the up.
Venturing to Wigan’s legendary Casino Club, Joe is seduced by the music, the dancing, the drugs and Jane. As he falls deeper into the scene, his new paradise is threatened by Jane’s drug dealing boyfriend Alan and a crumbling friendship with Russ. A love triangle develops with Jane and artist Mandy, and Joe quickly has to decide what and who he really wants in his life.
Related Posts:
- Greenberg at Tyneside Cinema
Mark Kermode: It’s Only A Movie at Northern Stage
{ 12 trackbacks }
{ 0 comments… add one now }