Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché
Directed byCeleste Bell
Paul Sng
Written byCeleste Bell
Zoë Howe
Produced byRebecca Mark-Lawson
Daria Nitsche
Matthew Silverman
CinematographyNick Ward
Edited byXanna Ward Dixon
Music byMarina Elderton
Production
companies
Generation Indigo Films
Polydoc Films
Tyke Films
Velvet Joy Productions
Distributed byModern Films
Pacific Northwest Pictures
Release date
  • 27 February 2021 (2021-02-27) (Glasgow)
Running time
134 minutes
CountryUnited Kingdom
LanguageEnglish
Box office53,940[1]

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché is a 2021 documentary film about Poly Styrene, the lead singer of X-Ray Spex.[2] Directed by Celeste Bell and Paul Sng, the film features Bell, Poly Styrene's daughter, exploring her mother's history and legacy through archival footage and interviews with her peers and fans.[3]

The film features narration of Poly Styrene's personal diaries by actress Ruth Negga.[4]

The film premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival on 27 February 2021,[5] in advance of its commercial release on a digital platform on 5 March.[4]

Reception

Critical response

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 98% of 54 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's consensus reads: "Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché pays worthy tribute to its trailblazing subject with a documentary that honors her life as engagingly as it chronicles her career."[6]

Accolades

At the British Independent Film Awards 2021, the film won the award for Best Documentary and the Raindance Discovery Award.[7]

The film was the winner of the Documentary Award at the 2021 Whistler Film Festival.[8]

References

  1. ^ "Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché (2022)". Box Office Mojo. IMDb. Retrieved March 18, 2022.
  2. ^ Joe Lynch (17 March 2021). "'Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché' Doc Explores Punk Trailblazer In All Her Contradictions". Billboard.
  3. ^ Peter Bradshaw (5 March 2021). "Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché review – riveting take on British punk heroine". The Guardian.
  4. ^ a b Charlotte Krol (26 February 2021). "'Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché': Watch exclusive trailer for film on punk icon". NME.
  5. ^ Wendy Ide, "‘Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliche’: Glasgow Review". Screen Daily, 27 February 2021.
  6. ^ "Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  7. ^ Nadia Khomami, "After Love dominates British independent film awards". The Guardian, 5 December 2021.
  8. ^ Charlie Smith, "Cinema of Sleep wins Borsos award for best Canadian feature at Whistler Film Festival". The Georgia Straight, 20 December 2021.


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