★★★★
Two friends become rivals in a vicious London gangland war.
Classification: 15
From the small screen to the big screen, rapper and filmmaker Andrew Onwubolu known professionally as 'Rapman' brings his vision of Youtube miniseries sensation Shiro's Story to new cinematic heights. Exploring the damaging cycles of violence consuming London's youth and dismantling the ideas behind being the "gangster" image Rapman tells a story of tragedy rather than glorification. Chronicling the story of the film through his music Rapman appearing as rapping Greek chorus as Blue Story focuses on the friendship between two childhood friends Marco and Timmy. Timmy who lives in Deptford and Marco lives in Peckham, two neighbouring areas of London but an escalating gang war between rivals which sees Marco's older brother "Switcher" as a leader begins to tear them apart.
Rapman's passion in his music not only adds to the emotional weight to the lead performances capturing the downfall of Marco and Timmy but also gives an uneasy feeling of an inescapable reality to it all. That the tragic events of Blue Story can feel so customary to Rapman's music because of how easily gang violence can dominate the lives of teenagers in these areas. The direction of the film keeps the crime drama and youth drama separated with the connections between the characters slowly being revealed such as Marco's brother or Timmy's former childhood friend being part of the Deptford gang. It's not a sudden switch that turns Blue Story into a vicious crime driven revenge drama but a steady series of inconsequential escalations. A stray comment, a random encounter, unintended actions that soon become the justification for violent actions in Rapman's incredible effective realistic storytelling. Soon it all becomes unforgivable between the two and there is no turning back until revenge is had by both, feuds built by pointless and avoidable tragedy.
Marco and Timmy don't see the feud between Deptford and Peckham as something that effects them until the gang culture begins to infect them, Rapman using their story as a cautionary tale for the audience. Rapman's films are said to be based on his own experiences as a young man growing up in London's ganglands and its prevalent in how realistic he makes the drama and performances feel. Parts of Blue Story make seem predictable but it comes more from the sense that Marco and Timmy's paths are predetermined by the lives they now lead rather than bad writing. Once they are caught in the cycle there is seemingly no escape and their fate is tied to the failures of gang leaders "Switcher" and "Madder" in perpetuating the violence and soon Marco and Timmy will be responsible for inspiring the younger generations as well.
It all feels inescapable to the horrible nature of it all but Blue Story offers optimism in its tragedies through the story focusing on the love between the characters. The love through brotherhood not only through Marco and Timmy but with their connections to all the supporting characters. Marco and Switcher's love as brothers, Timmy and Leah's blossoming relationship it may all become corrupted by gang culture but Rapman still delivers a message that love and understanding is the only solution rather than continued violence.
The supposed hatred between Peckham and Deptford is built from arbitrary reasonings; postcodes and kids wanting to be tough, Rapman capturing the insecure mindsets and motivations behind gang culture but also showing how easily this archaic thinking can warp the minds of rational people.
Blue Story feels like a tale that has happened to many living in London, Rapman's incredible direction combined with the fantastic cast only cements that realism in how he executes his film. Building amazing emotional and dramatic moments, the development of the characters feels epic and tragic almost Shakespearean in how it captures the futility of the reasons in why they were transformed. Rapman's cinematic debut is a bold and unforgettable film that defies expectations and delivers a deeply personal and informative emotional journey.
Director: #Rapman
Cast: #StephenOdubola, #MichealWard, #KarlaSimoneSpence, #EricKofiAbrefa, #KhaliBest, #KadeemRamsay, #JuniorAfolabiSalokun, #Rapman
Release Date: November 22nd 2019
Trailer:
Written review copyright ©CoreyBullochReviews
Synopsis from the Internet Movie Database, Images from Google
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