Beats (2019)

Directed by: Brian Welsh | 96 minutes | comedy, crime | Actors: Cristian Ortega, Lorn Macdonald, Laura Fraser, Rachel Jackson, Neil Leiper, Kevin Mains, Ross Mann, Amy Manson, Stephen McCole, Gemma McElhinney, Davian Thomas, Josh Whitelaw, Kimber Closson, Martin Donaghy, Brian Ferguson, Ryan Fletcher

It’s 1994 when the UK is overrun with illegal raves: house parties where anti-authoritarian youths feast on an almost infinite amount of drugs and a pounding beat. The Conservative government introduced the so-called Criminal Justice and Public Order Bill, a law that criminalized “musical events characterized by the broadcasting of repeating beats.” The result: more raves, tougher police actions and a wider gap between two generations.

Against this background, the young Scottish director Brian Welsh (himself born in 1981, so in the mid-nineties probably almost as eager a teenager as the main characters) situated ‘Beats’, a film about friendship, dance, counter culture and growing up in a tough class society.

In the opening scene of ‘Beats’ we see gangly teenagers Johnno and Spanner, each in their own bedroom, talking on the phone. The friends call – via the landline – to let each other hear the latest tracks and to go wild on the spot to the very loud music. Johnno is rudely interrupted moments later by his mother (Laura Fraser, who we still know as the ruthless Lydia from ‘Breaking Bad’), who does not want anything from her son’s hobbies. The family will soon move to a better neighborhood, away from the flats and shabby British estate areas, with new stepfather Robert, an annoyingly good cop. Who will be left behind is Spanner, an apparently indomitable tomboy, with a shaved haircut and a cheeky smile, who lives with his criminal and violent older brother and turns out to be a very sensitive boy.

The two boys watch their close friendship fall apart, but are determined to make the most of it while they still can. The at times very sentimental scenes resulting from this starting point are kept in balance by the raw setting and comic dialogues. The believable supporting characters also add a lot to the story – from the unhinged, anarchic radio DJ D-man, Spanner’s sniffed brother Fido, to love-interest Wendy. The plot is simple and – just like a good house song – works towards an unforgettable climax. It’s director Welsh’ (who based the film on co-screenwriter Kieran Hurley’s play of the same name) eye for detail that does it: from the gritty squats from which DJ D-man flings his radio broadcasts into the world to the deserted factory buildings where the eventual rave takes place. And as icing on the cake, the minute-long tripping scene in which Johnno and Spanner’s pill hits and they merge with the beat and with each other. That they fall euphorically and sweating into each other’s arms with a heartfelt I love you man is therefore completely credible here. The visuals (the only image from the film that is in color) by video artist Weirdcore (known for clips from Aphex Twin and Radiohead) do the rest.

‘Beats’ paints a recognizable and very catchy picture of the British rave scene of the 1990s. The film was one of the audience favorites at the IFFR in Rotterdam (perhaps not coincidentally, the city where the Dutch dance culture, or gabber, has its origins) and rightly so. Because although the setting is so time- and place-bound, and the decor is unmistakably British, the warm, comical and at times raw coming-of-age story of being young and fighting the system will be recognizable to everyone.