Synopsis
Two friends about to be separated by the circumstances of their lives decide to have one last night out as the music fans in Scotland prepare for an illegal rave.
Review
When this came up as an Unlimited Screening I shrugged my shoulders and booked my ticket. I didn't know anything about it and the very brief synopsis I read didn't really change that.
Johnno and Spanner are life long friends. Johnno is sensible and has a relatively stable family life while Spanner is suffering from living in his brother's criminal shadow.
When Spanner finds out that Johnno's mum is moving them up in the world to a new house with her policeman boyfriend he's devastated and steals money from his brother to fuel one last great night out for them both.
Firstly, I can't for the life of me work out why this was filmed in black and white, from personal recollections 1994 was pretty colourful, even in Scotland. The only reason I can conclude, as a viewer, is so that they could add a tie-dye electric nightmare at the rave to illustrate the drug-fuelled euphoria in a rather predictable visual way. Neither particularly added anything to the proceedings.
The highlight when it came to the acting in Beats was Lorn Macdonald as Spanner. The different sides of his character were shown so well. We get a peek at the person Johnno knows him to be and not the person he's perceived to be. Macdonald managed to bring a vulnerability to Spanner and reminded us that friends are the family you choose.
Johnno as a character confused me a bit, he was all over the place. Quiet and shy for the most part with the odd outburst that didn't feel like they fit the situation. Cristian Ortega wasn't bad in this part but the muddled character traits throughout left me cold to Johnno.
Beats obviously contains a lot of music and I was pleased that it wasn't always played a full volume. We open with the pair dancing to music and you expect it to be excessively loud. They kept it at a relatively low level but managed to give you the impression it was louder by the way everyone reacted to it. I can't work out whether that was a good or a bad way to start because I keep pondering on that point, being loud would have been accurate but I probably would have been grumbling about that fact right now.
The rave itself felt very accurate but it was tremendously difficult to watch. It really gave you the impression that you were in it, the only trouble with that is that when you are actually in it you're not trying to watch what's happening. Perhaps we could have cranked it up and had audience participation.
Beats is a story of friendship that happens to coincide with a time of change for the music scene in Scotland. There are touching moments in it, mainly around Spanner, but the rest of the film felt like it was trying to be too artistic. There's probably a very niche audience of music lovers out there for this but there were just too many moments that made me frown to give this a higher rating.
On the topic of ratings, as a final point... Beats was rated 18 and I would assume that this was for the drug use and domestic violence. This is me being numb to all things offensive I guess but it really didn't feel like it needed an 18.
What you should do
If you were/are partial to a rave then give this a go, but it's not something I'd generally recommend.
Movie thing you wish you could take home
I'd love the energy to party like that... what a distant memory.
Best documentary of the year! I had high expectations. What I got was the most visceral flashback imaginable. I'm not knowledgeable in film, so I'm not equipped to critique the cinematography or screenplay, etc. I'll leave that for far more capable people. But I know this,……. I KNOW this film, as do so many others. From the epilogue titles of the secondary rave characters, where every narrative was broadly familiar, be that in fact or some grapevine fish tale, to the two central characters whose stories could have been replaced by the thousands who will identify with this film without it detracting from the eventual point, and main event of this film. It is the incredible detail, the absolute perfect perspective; just the most knowledgeable insight into a life style which felt like a movement to this generation as it has felt for many others, if not all. It is the balance of the film. The people you encountered who brought danger to the narrative, whether associated first/second/third hand or by loose lipped reputation. They were the mean minority, at the far end of the character spectrum. Infrequency in proximity didn't detract from how constantly aware you were of potential danger. Alongside the casual criminality of the masses, drugs, driving, petty theft, general comfort with the rules being bent so long as you weren't an ass about it. The tender loving kiss; free from thoughts of foreplay. The gender interaction. The breaking down of male anxieties. The bonding of people, without the complications of the carnal. The detail, the tone, the stories, all of it, perfect. However, it was all taking you to one place, as the central focus of any documentary should. Nothing else existed for the short period people entered this world. It was about that dancefloor. It was about that transcendental unity and introspection. From the trepidation before you get on the ride to seeing music in colours. The accuracy in its every detail is sublime; having a sound track selected by selectors with the most exquisite taste, never faltering throughout. But above its pure brilliance was the gut wrenching memory of that total and utter release. That experience of absolute freedom on levels the conscious has difficulty dealing with. Chapter titled in graffiti "Your fear is holding you back" is an invitation to let go; it is a reminder to many of us and it is a cry of sorrow for those so watched, stored and liked. Just for its visceral accuracy of capturing and documenting the emotional and spiritual journey of one familiar night this film deserves film of the year.
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