Northern Soul is a 2014 British independent coming-of-age film directed by Elaine Constantine. Set in 1974, the film follows a pair of teenagers who find love for Northern soul dance music at their local youth club and become embroiled in its vibrant subculture.
Despite being a low budget indie production centring around a niche music culture, the film was an unexpected critical and box office darling. It was initially only released in 5 independent cinema chains, but due to popular demand, that number rapidly increased to over 160 across the UK.
Tropes
- Auto Erotica: John and Angela consummate their Unresolved Sexual Tension in a car.
- Black Gal on White Guy Drama: Downplayed, but a few characters comment on John's attraction to Angela as "that black girl", which counts as Deliberate Values Dissonance. However, nobody discourages their relationship.
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Breakup Breakout: John eventually grows tired of Matt's abrasive temperament hampering their success as DJs and decides to go it alone. He becomes more successful but loses the original passion that Matt brought to the table. - Cannot Spit It Out: Despite his confidence on the dancefloor and DJing, John is hopelessly bashful around Angela when they're actually stuck in an empty room together.
- Cloud Cuckoo Lander: Sean is a bit off-kilter, to put it mildly. His Cockney mates are all similarly intense.
- Establishing Character Moment: Matt is introduced serenely grooving alone to Northern soul in front of an apathetic crowd at the youth centre, uncaring that he is the only one on the dancefloor. Although he appears indifferent to people mocking him, that quickly changes when one of them picks a fight and he showcases his pent-up aggression.
- Heroic BSoD: Understandably, John goes through a major one one after he watches Sean die in a car crash.
- Heterosexual Life-Partners: John and Matt are inseparable for most of the film.
- Hot-Blooded: Matt. He doesn't shy away from picking fights with people that antagonise him, especially if they diss his music tastes.
- Hufflepuff House: John and Matt accumulate their own decent-sized friendship group as they expose more people to the glory of Northern soul, but none of them are given much focus as the film remains focused on John, Matt, Sean and Angela's relationships.
- Ms. Fanservice: Angela. She's very pretty and the film emphasises her well-endowed chest, which she eventually gets to show off in a sex scene.
- Plug 'n' Play Friends: Sean acts hostile when John is demoted to work with him in the cupcake oven. John notices Sean's soul tattoos. John shows his own. They instantly become friends.
- Sadist Teacher: Steve Coogan plays an utter Hate Sink of a form tutor who eschews teaching in favour of bullying and degrading his students, telling them that they'll all amount to nothing. It's satisfying when John eventually snaps and defies him.
- Serious Business: John and Matt base their whole lives around their love of the titular music genre.
- The '70s: The film is praised for having a highly authentic 1970s setting.
- Sex, Drugs and Northern Soul: Things go off the rails after Sean takes John and Matt to Wiggan. However, for John, the 'Sex' part doesn't come until a while later due to his own awkwardness around girls.
