Film: Young Soul Rebels (in 4K)

As B. Ruby Rich notes in her foundational New Queer Cinema essay for The Village Voice, at the 1992 Sundance Film Festival, “Isaac Julien was suddenly cast in the role of the older generation” with the premiere of Young Soul Rebels, his narrative feature debut after a career of shorts and documentaries. Set during the week of Queen Elizabeth’s Silver Jubilee in 1977, Julien’s part-thriller, part-queer love story infuses the raw energy of the early ’90s into a period piece that emphasizes the tension among the punks, skinheads, and Teddy Boys of Britain’s cultural scene.

DIRECTED BY: Isaac Julien. WRITTEN BY: Paul Hallam, Derrick Saldaan McClintock, Isaac Julien. WITH: Valentine Nonyela, Mo Sesay, Dorian Healy, Frances Barber. 1991. 105 min. UK/France/Germany/Spain. Color. English. Rated R. 4K DCP.