IMDb RATING
6.3/10
8.2K
YOUR RATING
A gang war dooms the lifelong bond of south London friends in this acclaimed crime drama that features its writer-director as a rapping Greek chorus.A gang war dooms the lifelong bond of south London friends in this acclaimed crime drama that features its writer-director as a rapping Greek chorus.A gang war dooms the lifelong bond of south London friends in this acclaimed crime drama that features its writer-director as a rapping Greek chorus.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 14 nominations
Eric Kofi Abrefa
- Switcher
- (as Eric Kofi-Abrefa)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaDuring its UK opening weekend a riot occurred at a VUE cinema in Birmingham, England, in the middle of a screening (speculation as to whether it was Blue Story (2019) or Frozen II (2019)). Over 100 people were allegedly involved, including young teenagers armed with machetes. The area was put under lock-down by police armed with tasers. As a result of the riot, VUE (and later Showcase Cinemas) decided to cancel all screenings of Blue Story and blame the violence on the film and the film's message. Further incidents also occurred during opening night, including a machete attack in Huddersfield.
- GoofsAround the 42'50m mark, Marco (Micheal Ward) has his head bowed forward, just moving his hand away from his face, before cutting to a shot from the other side where his head is leaning backwards.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Good Morning Britain: Episode dated 25 November 2019 (2019)
- SoundtracksThe Real Blue Story
Written by Rapman
Performed by Rapman
Featured review
A postcode you don't even own.
Who would've thought that a feature film adaptation of a YouTube series, written and directed by feature first-timer Rapman, would be this good. Seriously, 'Blue Story (2019)' is one of the best movies of the year, a heartbreaking and wonderfully conceived cautionary tale centred around the postcode wars of London's gangs. It's honestly one of the most affecting things I've seen in a long time. I'm not afraid to say that several moments brought tears to my eyes; even thinking back on it provokes a genuine emotional response. The narrative is surprisingly effective, weaving complex character dynamics with tried-and-tested twists and turns. It doesn't pick a side, instead portraying both gangs with equal empathy. There are no good guys or bad guys; everybody loses. Because of this, each individual tragedy hits like a tonne of bricks. It accurately portrays the violent cycle of retaliation that leads to this kind of culture and, sometimes, escalates to all-out war. It's remarkably bold filmmaking with a potent, anti-violence message and the strength to say it. It isn't always grim, initially injecting life and happiness into its young characters, and this is what makes its tragedy so effective. It gives us brief glimpses of possible peace and affords plenty of opportunity for the violence to stop, which is why it's so impactful when it, almost inevitably, doesn't. In this picture, forgiveness is one's greatest strength, even if it isn't practiced all that often. By showing snippets of real-life violence, the piece compounds itself within our world. Its characters may be creations but the thing is based on a thousand true stories. It isn't a fantasy, it's as real as it gets. It pulls no punches and really is harrowing, backed up by brilliant realist performances and a spot-on tone. The affair's most marketed and, perhaps, unique feature is the music of its writer-director, which acts as narration that compounds the narrative rather than replace it. The story would be just as good without these interludes, but they're important in hammering home the gravity of what's just occurred. The overall experience is able to combine the empathetic prowess of film with the underplayed, near-biographic prowess of rap music. The artistic decision to include Rapman in some scenes, delivering his musical narration directly to camera, is perhaps unnecessary. It's a unique technique, for sure. Still, it doesn't dampen the flick's effect and its almost music-video montages work far better than they ought to. The flick is hard-hitting and, as I mentioned earlier, heartbreaking. It's realistic yet narratively satisfying, low-budget yet grounded, enjoyable yet devastating. It's incredibly compelling, especially for (essentially) a first effort. It really is brilliant. 8/10
helpful•4647
- Pjtaylor-96-138044
- Nov 24, 2019
- How long is Blue Story?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £1,300,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $5,881,391
- Runtime1 hour 31 minutes
- Color
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