Good Vibrations

Mark Kermode had been raving about this for some time, citing it as his favourite film of the year thus far so I was expecting something special. I wasn't disappointed. It tells the story of Terri Hooley, a record store owner in 1970's Belfast who became one of the most important figures in the brief rise of punk music in N. Ireland. It's a commendable comedy drama which cleverly intertwines the story of Hooley's life with archive footage of the troubles affecting the city.

There are some wonderful scenes, most notably when Hooley first discovers the anarchic, pulsating sound of punk in a Belfast club - his face transforming from impassive to bewilderment to absolute joy in the space of a few seconds. There are genuine laugh out loud lines and it is a film which despite the times it lives in is full of warmth and heart. It's not perfect, it slowly drifts into an overly sentimentalised story and some plot turns are annoyingly predictable. That said it never stops being an intriguing and funny film with a brilliant central performance by Richard Dormer as Terri.

This is a biopic about Terri Hooley, the owner of Good Vibrations record shop and record label. His biggest claim to fame was in getting The Undertones seminal single Teenage Kicks to DJ John Peel. Considering that this became Peel's favourite song of all time, this is something of note. I hadn't heard of Hooley, or Good Vibrations but this isn't too surprising seeing as – aside from The Undertones who were only involved with him briefly – the other punk bands on his label were very minor players such as The Outcasts and Rudi. It's probably fair to say that the movie overstates the significance of Hooley and of Belfast as a punk capital.

Nevertheless, this is still a good film. It successfully illustrates how punk rock served a different purpose in Belfast compared to most other places. It happened during the height of The Troubles and music was a means of bringing people together from both sides of the fence, while the youthful anger of punk rock tapped into something very relevant in a population living in grim times with the fear of violence a constant situation. To help give a better feel for the times there are actual newsreels from the period spliced into the story. Although the politics always hover in the background and never really move into the central ground of the story. This is above all a story about the love of music and its power to overcome wider concerns. Although, admittedly it failed to bring an end to the civil war, seeing as it lasted for a further twenty years.

The story is a fairly standard feel-good biopic with a little bit of adverse drama thrown in about two thirds of the way in. In fairness, it's only being true to its source material which is fairly slight to begin with. The period setting is captured quite well in its beige horror although there were some (very) dodgy wigs on display. This will connect most with folks who remember the punk times, especially ones who were in Belfast at the time. But it is a good film about a minor piece of music history.

Although I was born in Belfast, this occurred in the mid-70's so I really knew very little of the people and events in this film, even if I knew the music. I'm not really a punk fan either, but it was the country connection that made me interested in watching the film. The story is sort of based on reality, although of course I think a lot of it is rather simplified for the sake of telling a good story. Terri Hooley (so spelt as he only has one eye) loves his music and at a time when Northern Ireland is splitting down the middle along religious lines, he opens a record store selling reggae and the like. Through this he is put in contact with the punk scene and becomes an unexpected leader to bring it to greater attention.

The main thing the film does very well is capture the sense of place and time; the bits of the film I recognise are instantly so and the rest it delivers so convincingly that one goes along with it and really feels it. The sets, costumes and locations are a big part of it as they capture the 70's real well, but the use of music is the real impact. I'm not a big punk fan but the music throughout the film worked very well and I liked that it even held back its biggest track until that famous moment that Peel played it twice. The story around the music is engaging and it touches on quite a few things but really it is about the energy and passion for it and in this regard Dormer is strong in the lead.

One of several Game of Thrones cast in the film, Dormer's energy is infectious even if his flawed character is evident, he leads the viewer into the passion really well. He is well supported by many unknown faces who do great jobs while also having plenty of recognizable faces kicking around – although Moran, Cunningham and others have not too much to do. The direction of the film is really good and the film has a great look – even when it is in dark, chaotic bars, it still looks clear and crisp.

It isn't a perfect film but it does tell an engaging personal story with energy and passion. The music and sense of place drive the film while the infectious and engaging performances add a lot. Very enjoyable film for what it does well.

'It didn't matter what color your hair was, or whether you were a Protestant or a Catholic, it just mattered that you were a punk.' This was and probably still is the motto in life of Terri Hooley, the man who inspired the film Good Vibrations directed by Lisa Barros D'Sa and Glenn Leyburn, whose screening was occasioned by the British film festival.

We are introduced in the atmosphere of the 70s by a number of newsreels of the period. While the flower power, pop, hippie movements were winning over much of the world with their message of peace and non-violence and with their music times were tough for Northern Ireland where the religious conflict entered in a violent phase which was going to leave more then 3000 people dead on all sides. Terri Hooley comes from a political involved family, his father was an idealistic Communist, and Terri loses an eye as a kid in a hate act. His great passion is however music, and with music he tries to bridge the gaps between communities, to bring together people around good and beauty, to what should be normality in a world of conflict and violence. And then the opportunity shows up, as he discovers the young people trying to escape the constraints of the society but also of the conventional culture and express themselves and their feelings in in the visceral and straight roughness of punk music. Hooley will help the emerging Northern-Irish punk bends record and distribute their music, and transform Belfast in one of the punk capitals of the world. Suddenly the city known in the news only for conflict and violence becomes a point of cultural interest, a stage for new and innovative music which crosses communities, religions, and haircuts.

Good Vibration is a simple and direct film about the power of music, about the capacity of doing good in evil times, about the beauty and necessity of escapism. Actor Richard Dorner draws a passionate portrait of a man who lives for music, who believes that music can bridge and heals. It is not an idealized portrait, as family life falls victim to Hooley's passion, and this aspect is not neglected. It's not a perfect film, some of the supporting characters could have been developed for example, but overall it's, well, a film that passes good vibrations. And there is a lot of music of course, I have never been a fan of punk, but I may become one.

According to the news a few months ago Terri Hooley was attacked and abused in his neighborhood in Belfast. Even if 30 years after the troubles the situation in Norther Ireland is much better than it was, healing and reconciliation may have their chance, sequels of the past still show up and the balance is still fragile. The Good Vibrations shop of Terri Hooley opened and closed a few times. Life has ups and downs, but good sometimes prevails.

I visited Belfast a few years ago and was horrified to see the Wall still standing between Protestant and Catholic parts of the city. A cafe owner told me that until recent years the CBD had to be closed down at night because it was unsafe. I welcomed a movie focusing on the Troubles. I need to know more about it. I love this film. I don't think the film even says what religion or politics Terri Hooley, the record store owner, hails from, because it's irrelevant. He treats people as he finds them. He simply hates violence. As Hooley, Richard Dormer gives a perfect portrayal of a man who is almost aggressively determined to be a peace lover and to follow his passion for music and community. Even though he doesn't get on with his crotchety old father, a communist would-be politician, the father oddly showed Terri a great example in following his own path, being true to himself and standing up to ridicule. Just watching the senseless gang and police violence and explosions, most of it shown to us from actual file news footage, is enough to make Terri realise that music is the way to escape, and to rise above it all, and he brings others along for the ride. Punk is an unlikely vehicle for his vision, but he realises that all these downtrodden youths around him are just like him -- sick of the stupid tit for tat going on and looking for a way to express themselves, socialise and even experience joy. It's a gritty film. In every frame someone is drinking and smoking heavily and committing crimes against fashion. Terri is hopeless with money, and not so great to his wife, but in the final scenes, you realise what heroic things he did achieve. This is even better than The Commitments in that it's more rooted in reality and it rings true in a lot of ways.