Young Soul Rebels

In the same year Do the Right Thing captured the tinderbox of racial unease on the streets of Brooklyn, another inner city story made its mark, telling the story of young black queer men in London. Director Isaac Julien (Looking for Langston, Frantz Fanon: Black Skin, White Masks) looks back from the vantage point of 1991 to 1977. A moment with contemporary resonances – with a major royal celebration and resurgent fascism on the streets and in government – we see a young gay man murdered while cruising. A recording of his final moments gives clues that his friends as they seek the truth, giving them a panorama of London’s subcultures.

Re-released to coincide with a major Tate Modern exhibition of director Isaac Julien’s prismatic contributions to moving image, this is a classic of Black British cinema that deserves to be newly seen or rediscovered by all audiences, not least for its incredible punk, funk and soul soundtrack.

Directed by Isaac Julien
Cast includes Valentine Nonyela, Mo Sesay, Sophie Okonedo
Cert 15