Ruby Gregory watches Blue Story, the new film that got publicity for the wrong reason
From YouTube to Paramount Pictures, Rapman (Andrew Onwubolu) has been on quite the creative journey.
Blue Story is Rapman’s first directorial debut on a feature film, after previously receiving online praise for his three-part YouTube series Shiro’s Story.
A Deptford boy at heart, Rapman pays homage to his own South London upbringing through Blue Story’s prime settings, Deptford and Peckham.
The narrative follows the violence that escalates between two rival gangs because of their conflicting postcodes, SE13 and SE15.
Rapman’s lyrical intervals offer a unique way of storytelling and he pieces scenes together beautifully, at the same time as authentically portraying growing up in urban areas of London.
The film has Romeo and Juliet qualities, but the emphasis less on a romantic plot, and more on tragedy and the consequences of forbidden territory.
Blue Story was under the microscope after an altercation at a Vue cinema in Birmingham led the film to being axed, briefly, from all Vue cinemas.
Leaving aside the disputed facts about what happened in Birmingham, it seems peculiar that the film was under such scrutiny.
Blue Story does not glamorise gang culture. Instead, it documents the vicious cycle of tit-for-tat violence that happens amongst gangs.
It will be interesting to see what Rapman will pursue next. One thing is for sure, the film and he are only just at the beginning of their successes, and are changing the way we view the crime drama genre.
