When Marion Elliott died of cancer in 2011, Celeste Bell grieved for her mum while music fans grieved for Poly Styrene, iconic singer with punk band X-Ray Spex. They had a troubled relationship and Celeste initially resisted exploring her mother's legacy but her journey to connecting with Marian is beautifully captured in POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHÉ.
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Marian, a mixed-race South Londoner, found a natural home within Punk but still encountered patronising chauvinism from fellow musicians and press. Meanwhile Poly highlighted the rush to mass consumerism with THE DAY THE WORLD TURNED DAY-GLO and the magnificent OH BONDAGE UP YOURS!
A mis-diagnosed bi-polar condition led to recurring mental health issues including her years in a Hare Krishna retreat; her mood-swings resulted in Celeste living with her grandmother but music healed them, collaborating on the X-Ray Spex reunion gig and Poly's last album.
Shelf or charity shop? Well I contributed to the film's crowdfunding so a definite shelf! A genuine labour of love, co-directors Celeste and Paul Sng have crafted a personal story that resonates through Celeste's voice-over narration, Ruth Negga's voicing of Poly's diaries and lyrics and a hypnotic pace. It's always sad when you find out that a hero had pain in their lives and Poly is no exception but despite the mental anguish which plagued her from the 1980s onwards, her unstoppable personality bursts through and she is and always will be a heroic figure who went against the grain to create amazing moments of being through her music. Wonderful archive footage shows her in full voice fronting X-Ray Spex while her offstage candid interviews show the girl who was always painfully honest. With offscreen contributions from Pauline Black, Gina Birch, Laura Logic, Thurston Moore, Vivienne Westwood and Neneh Cherry among others, Celeste has given us a lasting tribute to her remarkable mother.
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