DETROIT - Rock's most mysterious frontmen Morrissey is put on film and is directed by Mark Gill. The movie takes an introspective look into the early years of Stephen Patrick Morrissey. We travel back in time and see him as a troubled and lonely youth during his teenage years in Manchester, England. The movie takes place before the fame and the prestige of being a spokesman for the downtrodden. Young Stephen is shown as a deep thinker and is always in a deep study within the safety of his room which is fortified with books, posters, and old albums.
Morrissey is played by young actor Jack Lowden and he pals around with his gal pal Anji. Together they go to local pub rock shows and she encourages him to be more of himself. Young Stephen is very shy and soft-spoken and chickens out of meeting up with real musicians to start a band. He spends his days working in an office as a filing assistant for an overbearing boss. At night Stephen dreams of superstardom. Anji loses faith in him and moves on. The director puts in a nice touch in this movie by replacing the live music soundtrack with retro songs from another era. We get a feeling that Stephen is mentally somewhere else even when watching a live gig by the Sex Pistols.
Stephen meets up with an artsy girl named Linder Sterling, (played by Jessica Brown Findlay) who helps him come out of his shell. Linder is flamboyant, opinionated, and free-spirited - all of the things Stephen is not. She is a more uplifting friend to have in the picture than his former girlfriend Anji. She takes him to see Patti Smith, parties and even lets him crash out on her couch. He, in turn, writes incessantly in his tiny notebook. Its a collection of observations, poetry, and snide jabs at his coworkers. Meanwhile, at home things are tense financially and his father leaves unexpectedly.
Things get a bit heated at work when Stephen starts showing up late for work or sometimes not at all. He explains himself in a voiceover "The mind allows us to think and feel beauty in all things. Where others only see crank bearings and spark plugs." True Smith's fans will relish in the use of lyrics inserted in the verbiage of the characters of this film. Stephen's boss grows irate with his tardiness and complains vainly "I don't owe you a living". Stephen finds companionship with Linder and they meet on the cemetery park benches, (a reference to the song Cemetary Gates). Here they exchange literary quips by quoting their favorite poets such as Oscar Wilde. Linder is also well-read and seems to know her Shakesphere and catches Stephen when he tries to take acceptance of his own words in a conversation. There is playful competitiveness between the two of them.
Stephen goes to an art opening for Linder and finds himself in a date situation with a co-worker. This is an awkward situation for him. Stephen's coworker date Christine, (played by Jodie Comer) is very pushy and forward and turns him off. He quips about eating poison rather than go out to eat with her. Linder gets an award at the art opening and is getting a chance to go to London to study art. He is happy for her but can never seem to tell her what is really on his mind. The plans are very unclear about when Linder will return. Stephen's body posture can't hide his broken heart.
Stephen starts a band with Billy Duffy, (later of The Cult) and they practice underneath the train tracks. They play one gig and the crowd is enthusiastic and receive favorable press. After sending a demo recording in the record company only wants to use Duffy and Stephen goes into a 6-week depression. As a parting gift, Duffy leaves behind a phone number for guitarist Johnny Marr.
The situation at work is dismal and Stephen quits altogether and takes a job at the local hospital as an orderly. He has chopped off his long moppish hair and settled for a pair of thick Buddy Holly glasses and looks unrecognizable. After viewing his day chart he recognizes the name of his friend Anji on it. She is very ill and it looks like she has undergone radiation and she fails to recognize him. Stephen leaves without saying a word only to return the next day with a bouquet of roses. By the time he gets to her room he finds it empty and she has passed away. This is a tremendous blow to him and he tears off his name tag from his uniform and leaves quitting his job.
The transformation of a local poet to rock star hangs in the balance. Feeling lost he trashes his room in a state of frustration by tearing down the posters off his wall. This is an act of dying and killing off his former self. Linder offers to lend him money to come and see her in London. He falls apart and sobs to his mother "This world isn't built for people like me". She encourages him to go out and be the best version of himself and reminds him of his uniqueness. It is the only time in the entire film where his mother shows any compassion for him at all. He straightens up and finds the strength to pursue his dreams by contacting guitarist Johnny Marr about forming a band.
That band would go on to record 6 iconic albums as The Smiths. They would get signed to Sire Records and produced legendary albums such as "The Queen is Dead" in 1986 and "Louder Than Bombs" in 1987. Stephen would drop his formal name and go by his last name Morrissey. After the disbanding of The Smiths, he would have a successful solo career and become the favorite of the Alternative Rock scene.
This is a very smart film and doesn't go into the fanfare of superstardom. That story has yet to be told. What this film does is give us a unique insight into the formative years of Morrissey as a performer and his journey as an artist. It is a complex journey that is filled with hints of much deeper rabbit holes left unexplored. Watch for Morrissey carrying a book in his hand based on the Moors Murders. Child serial killers Myra Hindley and Ian Brady kidnapped and killed children from Manchester where Morrissey lived. There is dark foreboding darkness that lurks in the rain-drenched streets and this haunts him. Morrissey is a person who thinks very deeply and questions everything.
MOVIES THAT ROCK !!
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