Crazy from music Perhaps there are not so many legendary people in music, whose biopeak would be incredibly interesting and attractive. John Lennon is fortunately one of those, and this film about his young years is a truly intriguing event not to be missed. This work by Sam Tyler Wood is only part of a fascinating plot, and this film concerns only the youth of a boy from Liverpool.
This approach, despite its originality, does not give an overall picture, but devotes enough time to the chosen period of John Lennon’s life. A young rebel, a rock 'n' roller, a daring kid, with a difficult childhood and who is crazy about music. Tormented by the restless flashbacks of the past, he tries to live in the present, revealing his soul through creativity and looking for his way in the music industry.
Of course, from the director of such a film as “Forbidden to show” you expect something more firmly served, frank and daring, which is served here and John and the era itself. And in the end, you can notice some taunts only in the abundant propaganda of smoking and sexuality breaking out, remaining somewhere behind the scenes, but passing through the whole plot with a thin tangible fiber. A mother who is more likely to be a girl for her own son and all their difficult relationships, which develop in essence in a short moment, despite the fact that they are devoted to the whole film, are the general plot basis of the plot in the whole story. The search for answers to questions of relationships from within the family, the age-old theme of raising other people's children and posing the question of who is closer to the child - a physical parent, or a person who has sheltered for life, and some other aspects that are extremely acutely raised in youth and youth.
The childhood of the main character here remains outside the director’s attention, excluding the most culminating moment of the past. But the rich life of a teenager is presented with a proper concentration of the youth spirit of rebellion and search for oneself, leaving for a variety of entertainments for young people and attempts at creativity, in this case leading to success. Someone succeeds, someone does not, everything flows - everything changes, only the torn flaps of the film are folded not so much into a single canvas as into a really strange mosaic, which is not enough that it is not finished, so it looks more like a church stained glass window from a pile of colorful glass than a transparent window into the life of the main character.
At the same time, the spirit of that time is presented so superficially that history does not cause a feeling of immersion in the era. The feeling that this is happening around and now, everything is ordinary, and looks like a story from any modern suburb of the UK and not only her. And these days, older ladies for the most part prefer exclusively classical music, staring obliquely at the crowds of guys in hoods and other riveted skin. On the other hand, if this is still around us, then rock and roll is alive, and the trace left in history still retains its clear imprint. And Elvis is still the king he was when Lennon was young, and only Lennon himself, who was then a nobody, is now one of the iconic heroes of the musical arena.
Looking unevenly glued episodes, to make a verdict such a film also wants, breaking it in separate parts. So, for example, in terms of directing and staging, I want to count it to the director in the negative, but in terms of the script and acting, this is a clear plus. A good story got to the wrong director, or Sam Wood just didn’t know how to pitch such a story. And such a seemingly good movie can no longer become something truly outstanding and cult, and in its potential it had the opportunity to become one of the best biopeaks.
Sex, drugs, rock and roll - although bright, but not the main topic, although sometimes tries to be so with the abundance of attention paid to the director. At the same time, the relationships and love on which one tries to play and emphasize can hardly compete with the rebellious spirit of youth and the musical rhythms of the retro era. And divided by uneven parts of the movie, it causes a slight smile at the expense of what is happening on the screen, then slides into excessively emotional drama, sharply jumping over the leisurely narrative, bathing in the sunshine. Bright colors change to gloomy tones in one second, and such constant changes simply tire of the inevitably approaching end. And while not on the screen, they try to convince the viewer that they are teenagers: John Lennon and Paul McCartney, pulls to watch a real documentary about their lives and undertakings rather than a not too skillfully staged biopeak, drowning in censorship with pronounced sexuality.
Nevertheless, even without specifying any specific details of the biography and without going into the details of a thorough film adaptation of facts, the viewer can spend the entire timekeeping of the film with interest, nostalgic for his own youth. Yes, and fans of the Beatles, such a movie should be accepted with dignity, if not enthusiastically. The film is not perfect, crumpled and too uneven, which does not detract from its many bright advantages, rich musical design, stunningly played: Aaron Johnson, Thomas Sangster, Anne-Mary Duff and, of course, Christine Scott Thomas. The story of a difficult youth, a vivid desire to create and complex family relationships. A musical drama worth watching.
6 out of 10
Original