Mark Reviews Movies: BEATS

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Review by Mark Dujsik | June 25, 2020

To be a teenager is to know what you want in the here and now. For the characters in Beats, it's to listen to music, to spend time with friends, and to rebel against the systems of parents and other authorities. This is a simple story, but it's driven by youthful energy and the gradual realization that the party is almost finished.

The music here, electronic dance tunes from the early 1990s, actually doesn't matter that much to these characters. The place is Scotland in the year 1994. This musical trend is coming to a close, but in the here and now for the likes of best friends Johnno (Cristian Ortega) and Spanner (Lorn Macdonald), the rhythm of electronic percussion and the melody of synthesizers are enough.

They don't talk about specific artists or bands. The music is more of an excuse to dance and, more importantly, to blast something that their parents and the government see as dangerous as loudly as possible. The UK government is about to pass legislation that would outlaw any gathering featuring music with "repetitive beats." That's the only excuse these kids need to hold a rave—in a location to be disclosed over the airwaves of pirate radio.

The film, co-written by Kieran Hurley (based on his play) and director Brian Welsh, follows Johnno, trying to keep on the straight and narrow, and Spanner, a troublemaker who is perceived as a greater one because of his criminal brother (played by Neil Leiper), as they plan one last hurrah before Johnno's family moves. Along the way, the two bicker, because they're so different in terms of personality, and bond, because there is real love between them. In addition to the brother and his crew (looking to recover some cash stolen by Spanner), the cops are also planning to crash the rave.

Welsh and cinematographer Benjamin Kracun shoot the film in nostalgic black-and-white (save for the climactic rave, during which color brings sudden life to the dancing, as well as various symbols of freedom and rebellion). It signifies the past, yes, but it also suggests the gloominess of an ending—of an era, of a friendship, of an age when rebellion was the only thing that mattered. Beats captures the spirit of a time and a place, but vitally, it provides a sense of more than just a type of music fading away.

Note: Beats is available to watch online via virtual cinema. You can choose to support a local independent theater (e.g., the Music Box Theatre in Chicago) with your rental purchase. Half of proceeds from the rental will go to the theater. For more information and to access the film, click here.

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