ScreenWize

Visual artist Sam Taylor-Wood casts aside her moody conceptual art and directs a stunning debut feature - straight and true, perfectly nailing the drama of this ever so slightly nostalgic look at John Lennon’s formative years, and the drama of the two women who battled to bring him up.

It’s Liverpool 1955 and John Lennon is 15 years old. Since the age of five, he’s been brought up by his Aunt Mimi – a traditional woman who likes classical music. But when John meets his mother Julia, she introduces him to Elvis and Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, and the fire is ignited. With stand out performances from the whole cast - including Kristen Scott Thomas as Aunt Mimi and Anne-Marie Duff as Lennon’s mother Julie, Taylor Wood wraps the story around the two women who clash over the young man who will change the face of music. More a love story than a biopic, newcomer Aaron Johnson gives us some deeply imagined insights into the events that drove Lennon’s creative musical genius.

It’s warm, clever - features just enough of a taste of the music of the era - and will leave you wondering how you never knew this story about one of the most celebrated musicians of the last century and just how he met the others of that famous band.

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Filed Under: Reviews by Simon