Film Analysis – Young Soul Rebels
Introduction
The film Young Soul Rebels was written by Derek Saldaan McClintock, Isaac Julien, and Paul Hallam. The film was then directed by Julien, and it was also his first feature. This film was used to explore and illustrate issues such as cultural interactions and movements, and social, cultural, and political tensions in Britain in the 1970s. The movie tells a story about Chris, the main character, and Caz, both young DJs operating in one pirate radio station after one of their gay friends; TJ is killed during a sexual cruise in a local park. The film depicts the social issues that were facing Britain during the time, such as sexuality, homophobia, gender equality and discrimination against the minority groups such as the black community
Narrative
The story is set in London, in the year 1977, and the film starts as a buddy movie between Chris and Caz, in their pirate radio station. It starts and revolves around a murder and the concurring investigation, after one of their friends by the name TJ is murdered one night while cruising in a local park in London by a gay white man, in what appears to be an accident, seeing as it was not premeditated (Julien np). Chris, who is struggling to find a balance between commercial radio and his profession, finds himself in possession of a recording of the killer’s voice, which is considered incriminating evidence; Chris is arrested for the boy’s murder as a suspect. At the same time, the African community accuses the national front of TJ’s death.
Structure
During the time around which the film was set, racial, and national and citizen identity was a significant factor in the United Kingdom. The cultural identity in Britain was distorted, and for the people of color, whether having moved to Europe o having been born in Europe experienced difficult times. In the year of the Young soul rebel’s setting, 1977, it was the Silver Jubilee year for the queen (Julien np). As such, even a person’s national identity would be questioned. In preference to its setting, the film was produced around a time when the black community was rising against the discrimination, through such styles as black and soul music. The film is structured to bring out the conflicts between different cultured, beliefs, and identities. The use of people of color and is used to elaborate on the theme of racism in Europe in the 1970s. Also, the use of gay characters has been used to bring out the community conflict with this and other minority groups, and how they are discriminated against.
Themes
The Young Soul Rebels uses themes to bring throughout the narrative. The first theme used is love, first between the two central characters, Caz and Chris. There is also the love between them and their deceased friend TJ. Further, the theme of love appears in the relation between Caz and Billibud, and even between Chris and Stacy later in the story. The story also appeals to the love-hate relationship between white and black people, which transcends to the theme of racism and discrimination. The white people are continually discriminating against the black people, for instance, by pining TJ’s murder of Chris, just because he is not a white person. There is also discrimination against the gay community, which compels people to hide their true sexual identity and even commit murder like in the case of Ken. And then there is the theme of friendship, mainly between Caz and Chris. They have a lot of issues and goals that, at some point, seem to differ and pull them apart, and they even get into a conflict that nearly kills Chris, but they hold onto their friendship. They are disheartened by the death of TJ because he, too, was their friend.
The theme of racial profiling and discrimination is depicted throughout the film. For starters, the two boys, Chris and Caz from their garage radio station broadcast what is being referred to as funk music, seeing as there aren’t a lot of black songs allowed to be played during the time. Based on the events that were taking place during the time, the boys were passing this message to rebel against racial discrimination (Taubin 16). Additionally, Caz is black and also gay. On the other hand, Chris is half white and half black, but he is a straight guy. However, when TJ is murdered by a white man in a sexual encounter in the park, the investigation is redirected to Chris first because he is black. The investigators and the police department are so focused on pinning the murder to a black person that they do not stop to look at where the evidence points.
Another important theme that has been mainly used in this film is music. Caz and Chris are focused on making their soul music dreams come true. During the time, there were barely any radio stations playing black music, and most would result in playing American RNB. The issue of racial segregation transfers even to the problem of music, seeing as black music is considered wrong since it is a piece of minority music. The movie also uses a soundtrack that promotes the type of music that the punks are advocating for and appeals to the audience. Additionally, sexuality is also a theme that has been elaborated in this film. It has been illustrated in terms of heterosexuals, gays, and even interracial sexual relations.
Stylistic Devices & Gender roles
The film uses specific stylistic devices, such as, a dialogue that has been used widely between different characters in conversations. There is also sound as a stylistic device, even in the form of music tracks in various scenes. The film has also included cinematography, through composition, camera motion, color, exposure as well as on-screen lighting.
The differences between the presupposed gender roles between women and men in this film are limited. It focuses mostly on Stacy, the girl that Chris is in love with (Fusco 56). On other platforms, the gay men who want to replace women in relationships are faced with hardship, seeing as the society is homophobic, and it believes and advocates for men dating or being in relationships with women, and not fellow men.
Character Analysis
Chris is one of the main characters in this film. He is depicted as a person dedicated and focused on making his dreams come true. Chris is an advocate and lover of soul music, a type of music that they are trying to launch into society despite the authorities and white people’s disregard for it. Chris is also loving and supportive of his friend. He is hard-working, seeing as h pushes his luck with the commercial radio station, where Stacy is also working.
Caz is also quite hard-working, alongside Chris in their radio station in East London. He is, however, quite judgmental and quick to jump to conclusions. He assumes that because other people such as the garage owners and even Chris are straight, they are not in a position to mourn the death of TJ genuinely. He is strong and resilient, a trait that helps pull through the challenges of racial segregation and homophobia while he is dating Billibud.
Billibud is depicted as a seemingly gentle and innocent character I most ways. He is also portrayed as a thief, having stolen a designer T-shirt to wear to his movements. He also comes out as an activist and a punk. Stacy, on the other hand, is portrayed as persuasive. She managed to persuade Chris to make a copy of the original recording and give it to the police as evidence.
Cultural consideration
The culture and style of the black community were rising into an undeniable social force. It was becoming a force big enough to sway some of the white people with it, seeing as they start dressing and walking like the black people. As a result, the European nationals began to feel somewhat threatened and angered by the black uprising, which heightened the levels of discrimination (Taubin 14). As such, even after the young man is murdered by a white man during a sexual encounter, the law enforcers still find it necessary to pin the crime on a black person. TJ’s murder also articulates to the discrimination against interracial as well as gay relationships within the community. On repeated occasions, the gay couple, Caz and Billibud, are attacked or humiliated by the local skinheads for their sexuality. One evening after the two friends have resolved fallout, Chris goes to the studio and finds that it has been vandalized because it is operated by a gay person his acquaintance. The young man is upset with the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.
TJ goes into the local park at night, seeking to have a sexual encounter with a white man, who in turn, kills him. The park is used as a representation of the diversity in terms of sexual orientation, gender, or nationality within the community. While heterosexual partners meet in the same park during the day for their fun and pleasure, members of the gay community opt for night time since they do not want to be seen. TJ and his killer, Ken is still in the closet in regards to their sexuality, the more reason they prefer night time. During their encounter, Ken freaks out and ends up killing TJ (Julien np). Both of the characters are afraid of coming out about their sexuality because of the circumstances within the society that paint homosexuality as sinful. This is more so because HIV and AIDs were supposed to be spreading at a higher rate within this community. These issues and the fear compelled people such as TJ and Ken to deny their identities for fear of victimization. Even after TJ is killed, Caz questions whether people, especially the garage owners, will still feel the same pain considering that he was of the gay community.
Political considerations
Around the time that TJ was murdered, the political situation in Britain was such that it was the Queen’s Silver Jubilee. The gay community is discriminated against during this time, so much so that criminal investigations are overlooked, and they are accused of crimes they have nothing to do with (Crichlow 399). In the meantime, political leaders all the way to the top watch in silence as the streets bear massive tension and violence based on discrimination against minority groups. Additionally, the police officers prefer pinning the murder to a black person to counter possible retaliation that may reflect on the political rule.
Social Considerations
Generally, as a society, gays are not nearly appreciated, let alone accepted. So to say, when a gay person and especially a black one are murdered, there is much less reaction and mourning as opposed to if the killing would have been of a heterosexual person. After TJ is killed, Caz, who is gay, experiences more grief than his friend Chris (Julien np). Furthermore, if Chris had been white and he is found in possession of incriminating evidence against the actual murderer, there are higher chances that the law enforcers would have taken a different turn with the case. However, because Chris is black and even acquaintances with other black gay friends, it becomes easy to pin it on him. Caz starts a relationship with Billibud, a gay punk. The two young men experience hardship in a homophobic community, owing to the fact that they are both black and gay. The members of this community struggle first to accept their sexual identities and then get approved by society.
Ideological Considerations
The black, the blacks and the gay community in Britain in the 1970s were facing ideologies that it would be sinful to belong to either of these groups. Being a black person meant that pone had to fear for their lives, and coming out as one attracted to the same sex resulted in victimization, discrimination, hate, and sometimes death (Giommi np). The society was characterized by inequality. The other ideological consideration is that black music, such as soul music, was not accepted in society. The whole time, Caz and Chris are struggling to get accepted into the circles of music in Britain, and they face numerous challenges. Additionally, law enforcers are full of impunity, doing mistreating people for being black, whether or not they are on the wrong. Most people of these minority groups are subjected to self-imprisonment due to fears of their identities, whether sexual or national.
Aesthetic considerations
The film’s writers used the experiences of two characters to attribute to the real-life situations that everyone else in Britain and other regions that is like them may be going through. They are used creatively to illustrate how people are suffering under the fear of discrimination, isolation, and even victimization merely because they are different, and also the challenges that those of color are going through.
Conclusion
The film Young Soul Rebels by Isaac Julien is a buddy and thriller film that seeks to explore issues such as cultural interactions and movements, social, cultural, and political tensions in Britain in the 1970s. The film is based on the experiences of two black childhood friends, Caz and Chris, as they struggle with racial and sexual discrimination. It sheds light on issues affecting minority groups such as sexuality, homophobia, gender equality, and discrimination. Being a black person meant that one had to fear for their lives, and also coming out as one attracted to the same sex resulted in victimization, discrimination, hate. The film uses specific stylistic devices such as dialogue, music, and images to relate the message. It also appeals to themes such as sexuality, love, racism, and discrimination to create the perfect plot and story. The movie reflects on the local streets of London during a time when there was a lot of tension, and violence was likely to erupt. The force is fueled by the murder of the black gay kid, and the arrest and false accusation of a fellow black kid of the killings. Even though the kid is released, the police officers do not seem to bother in pursuing the real killer. And in a society where police officers are full of impunity and discrimination, and even black music is not exactly welcome, members of the respective minority groups are still far from free.
Works Cited
Crichlow, Warren E. “Against the Grain: popular music, pedagogy and cultural politics in the films of Isaac Julien.” Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education 16.3 (1995): 391-406.
Fusco, Coco. “Visualizing Theory: An Interview with Isaac Julien.” Nka: Journal of Contemporary African Art 6.1 (1997): 54-57.
Giommi, Francesca. “Centring Marginality through Black British Narratives: Small Island and Young Soul Rebels.” Afroeuropa: Journal of Afroeuropean Studies 2 (2008).
Rings, Guido. “Migrants in Europe: Breaking the Boundaries?.” The Other in Contemporary Migrant Cinema. Routledge, 2016. 60-138.
Taubin, Amy; Bhabha, Homi; Gilroy, Paul; Hall, Stuart Sight and Sound; Soul to soul Aug 1, 1991; 1, 4; ProQuest pg. 14
Young Soul Rebels Monthly Film Bulletin; Sep 1991; 1, 5; Performing Arts Periodicals Database pg. 55
Julien, Isaac, et al. Young soul rebels. British Film Institute, 1991.