The starting point of this film proposes an intriguing question: Can music be an instrument of Hate? This is a British indie drama that digs into homophobia, race, and violence inside London's urban and dancehall music scene. JJ's an up and coming MC chasing his music dream and fighting his way toward the Urban Slam finals. He's white and openly gay. After a tense run in with a rival group called The Ilford Illmanics, he ends up in an onstage rap battle against them. Meanwhile his boyfriend Orlando is backstage, where those four guys jump him in a brutal homophobic attack that leaves him with brain damage. The crew gets defended in court by a closeted gay solicitor, the same guy they'd earlier targeted with a homophobic attack in a shop, which is actually how he ended up meeting and falling for a young carer. From there the film follows what happens after the attack and how it hits everyone involved, from the four men's time in prison to JJ, Orlando, and the people ...
JJ's an up and coming MC chasing his music dream and fighting his way toward the Urban Slam finals. He's white and openly gay. After a tense run in with a rival group called The Ilford Illmanics, he ends up in an onstage rap battle against them. Meanwhile his boyfriend Orlando is backstage, where those four guys jump him in a brutal homophobic attack that leaves him with brain damage. The crew gets defended in court by a closeted gay solicitor, the same guy they'd earlier targeted with a homophobic attack in a shop, which is actually how he ended up meeting and falling for a young carer. From there the film follows what happens after the attack and how it hits everyone involved, from the four men's time in prison to JJ, Orlando, and the people helping care for him. At some point the solicitor contacts JJ and floats the idea of a class action suit, arguing the gang turned violent because of the song's lyrics. Interestingly, the film never gives either side real closure. Nothing gets settled, not even on the lyrics angle, while other subplots touch on redemption, forgiveness, and change.
Bashment wants to say something about race and sexuality, and how mixing the two can build into violence. The filmmaker deserves credit for tackling such a tough subject head on. Surprisingly, there's not a single sex scene, which tells me the director had a real point to make about the gay community instead of leaning on titillation to push the film into the gay genre. It really does show how a homophobic assault changes the lives of everyone it touches. Watching JJ look after Orlando, who's now childlike and dependent with only rare moments of clarity, is heartbreaking. The redemption arcs for the characters after they get out of jail didn't feel natural to me though, and the way they change just isn't believable. On top of that, so many characters and subplots keep popping in and out. The open ended feel and the lack of any proper follow through on some storylines was one of the film's biggest flaws. The language also wasn't really my style, and it took me a while to fully follow some of the dialogue.
The film's heart is in the right place, and if you're into the urban music scene or want some urban drama, it might work for you. For an average moviegoer like me though, the lack of proper discussion and closure leaves me still wondering what the director's actual viewpoint was on every issue he was trying to put out there. (4/10)
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