Young Soul Rebels

Part thriller, part gay love story, part straight love story and part political statement: there are many parts to director Isaac Julien’s 1991 ground breaking inner city murder mystery set against the late Queen’s Silver Jubilee while also addressing dancehall culture and the interaction between various UK youth cultural movements during the late 1970s. The film furthermore marks the feature film debuts of Sophie Okonedo and Eamonn Walker.

Dalston, London 1977, to be precise, a close-by park favoured by gay men for cruising. Minutes later, a young black man is approached by a man whose face we don’t see and aren’t supposed to see… because the stranger is a murderer who kills the young black lad. His name was TJ and his two mates Caz (Mo Sesay) and Chris (Valentine Nonyela), who run a pirate radio station from a local tower block, react differently to the shocking news. Caz is visibly upset over the death of his buddy, Chris on the other hand, although obviously saddened, prefers to channel his emotions into following his big ambition, which is a professional career promoting black soul music in commercial radio programmes. No easy task, seeing how the current trend steers towards punk music (particularly favoured by Skinheads).

Weeks pass and the rift between Chris and Caz widens due to Caz’ apparent indifference following TJ’s murder. Meeting up with his mates Carlton (Eamonn Walker) and Davis, Caz discovers that somehow he is in possession of a tape which recorded the murder but he does not hand it over to the coppers. He doesn’t have to, because it doesn’t take long for the law to turn up and a mean-talking detective arrests Caz for the apparent murder of his mate. Not only that, but Caz has to endure racism and bigotry, especially because the detective calls him a useless ‘halfcast’ (Caz’s mother Ann – played by Frances Barber – is white) and a ‘jungle bunny’. Nonetheless, Caz is entitled to his one phone call but when he tries to call Chris for help he too busy with his new boyfriend ‘Billybudd’ (Jason Durr), a white punk with socialist tendencies and somewhat of a hypocrite in that department, giving his penchant for flash Vivienne Westwood t-shirts.

When the coppers have no other option than to release Caz due to lack of evidence, he doesn’t lose much time and continues to pursue his professional ambitions with the help of Tracy (Sophie Okonedo), his new squeeze and someone with the right connections to get him into a commercial radio station. No price for guessing that that hothead Caz screws up the interview. Tracy, often seen going to clubs with her best friend Jill (Debra Gillett) can’t resist taking the p**s out of Billybud’s penchant for Westwood t-shirts when they bump into each other on the street and he happens to wear a ‘Tom of Finland’ shirt.

While the locals are getting ready for street parties celebrating the Queen’s Silver Jubilee, racial tensions between skinheads, blacks, gays and anything in between come to the forefront and show its ugly faces. During a big do at an open-air disco in the very park the murder took place, things are about to spill over big time and someone considered a friend turns out to be the enemy…

It’s probably fair to say that YOUNG SOUL REBELS had considerably more impact and was looked upon as more controversial upon its initial release back in 1991. While it’s of course important that the film is re-discovered and introduced to a younger generation, fact remains that in an age in which ‘queer cinema’ and racial topics in film and on TV have almost become the norm, Young Soul Rebels almost feels like just another addition, albeit one enriched with political and social elements of that particular time in history. Oh, and it has a darn fine soundtrack.

‘Young Soul Rebels’ has been 2K restored and is available on Blu-ray. Bonus Features include: New feature commentary by the director and director of photography / Image gallery / Press material and original script / Newly created audio description track / Theatrical trailer / Illustrated booklet (first pressing only)