Broken Song,
the new documentary from Claire Dix does something that I had noticed in
another couple of documentaries (Ballymun
Lullaby and Pyjama Girls) I have
reviewed on my blog: non judgemental, non patronising and letting the subjects
speak for themselves. There is an independent spirit not only in financing but
in content and form. When these kinds of subjects are approached in television
documentaries, there can sometimes be a patronising and tut-tut attitude. This
is not the case here. Broken Song is,
for my money, the best of the three and the best film I have seen at the
Jameson Dublin Film Festival so far.
Broken Song
tells the story of a group of young lads who rap. They are predominantly from
the Finglas/Ballymun area of Dublin.
Git and Costello have a father/son relationship which they both seem to draw on
for lyrical inspiration. They also try to mentor some of the younger kids of
the area. This isn’t some amateur effort, the songs are lyrically brilliant,
the contents reflecting lives lived and dreams that slipped away. But for the
most part the songs are positive with the future figuring heavily. Into this
comes singer/songwriter Willa Lee, who has a voice most singers would kill for.
But he is also a troublemaker and a little bit too lazy. What they all have in
common is talent and a sense of humour that comes across in the film with some
proper laughs to be had.
Dix delves lightly into their pasts
but without reducing the film to working class misery porn which can happen in
films such as this. There is serious talent here and just like in Ballymun Lullaby it is a two fingered
assault on an unofficial Government policy of ignoring areas of the city where
there are drugs or single mothers etc. The cinematography by Richard Hendricks is
quite frankly astonishing for such a budget. Shot in beautiful black and white,
Dix and Hendricks use the dark and light motif to great effect. The opening
shots of the young lads swimming is done in slow motion and is an early contender
for shot of the year.
Refreshingly there is no real build
up to a big event that they have to do, to make it. At its heart, Broken Song is a simple story well told.
And it is all the better for it. It is a deeply humane and heartfelt work, the
kind of film that should get a proper cinema release. It is a film that seems
to say that it is never too late to turn your life around no matter who you
are. And as Ireland
continues to lurch from one crisis to another it is quite an emotive and
powerful message to send.
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