Rent Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché (2021)
3.6 of 5 from 87 ratings
1h 36min
- General info
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- Synopsis:
Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements. But the late punk maverick didn't just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother's legacy and her mother's demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly's life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste's childhood and the pair's relationship. Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother's unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother. - Actors:
- Poly Styrene, John Lydon, X-Ray Spex, Falcon Stuart, John Cooper Clarke, David Bowie, Jack Airport
- Directors:
- Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
- Producers:
- Rebecca Mark-Lawson, Matthew Silverman, Daria Nitsche
- Voiced By:
- Hazel Emmons, Don Letts, Rhoda Dakar, Ifrah Ahmed, Kinsi Abdulleh, Pauline Black, Bruno Aleph Wizard, Helen McCookerybook, Vivienne Westwood, Martin Glover, Lora Logic, Paul Dean, Rina Vergano, Jonathan Ross, Thurston Moore, Gina Birch, Vivien Goldman, Lucy O'Brien, Ana Da Silva, Kathleen Hanna
- Narrated By:
- Celeste Bell, Ruth Negga
- Writers:
- Celeste Bell, Zoe Howe, Paul Sng
- Studio:
- Modern Films
- Genres:
- Documentary, Music & Musicals, Special Interest
- Collections:
- A Brief History of Singer Biopics
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Reviews (1) of Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Slow - Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché review by CP Customer
Such an interesting person ,and such an amazing time culture wise. its worth watching , but i wish someone would make another doc about her.
She and Her music are so vibrant and alive. This one has a relentlessly depressing tone which it really shouldn't have.
Its the academics negging analysis that has no place in programmes like this. Academics in my experience are introverted and sociopathic. They never understand post modern youth cults, like new wave, and Their analysis of class , and especially working class Londoners, is thin to say the least, and bitchy.
But it is worth watching just for the footage of Xray Spex and let the music do the talking.
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