In the mid-1990s, the United Kingdom was overrun by raves: illegal
parties with heavy beats and an endless supply of drugs. The Criminal
Justice Bill introduced by the government in 1994 criminalised
‘gathering around repetitive beats’. This led to massive protests and
even more raves.
Against that background, Beats showcases the unlikely friendship; between teens Spanner and Johnno in a Scottish
town. The first is living with his criminal brother, the other is facing
a move to a new town with his family and his potential new stepfather,
who happens to be a cop. On their last night out, the two friends steal
cash from Spanner’s brother and journey into an underworld of anarchy,
freedom and collision with the forces of law and order. This universal
story of friendship, rebellion and the irresistible power of gathered
youth, is set to a soundtrack as eclectic and electrifying as the scene
it gave birth to.
Featured in these combined programmes
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IFFR Young Selectors: Beats
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Limelight
Rotterdam creatives Xiang Yu, Davi, Boaz and Sara are the IFFR Young Selectors. They take matters into their own hands by organising two film events:… -
-
IFFR Instant Favourite 2019
A film to instantly fall in love with, picked from the BankGiro Loterij Audience Award Top 10. Ideal if you just can’t choose from the…
Trailer
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Film details
- Country of production
- United Kingdom
- Year
- 2019
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2019
- Length
- 96'
- Medium/Format
- DCP
