MesmeroWatch list, 0 saved

Movie
Poster for Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

2021 · 96 min

An intimate, bittersweet archival journey that feels like sorting through a loved one's memories, equal parts celebration and quiet reckoning.

Directed by
Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
Genres
Documentary, Music
Starring
Poly Styrene, Celeste Bell, Ruth Negga
Tagline
Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard...
Overview
The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex front-woman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey through her mother's archives in this intimate documentary.

Your rating is saved. See your suggestions, or find titles like this one below.

Rate it, and Mesmero finds titles that feel like it. You do not need an account.

Search YouTube for a trailer

Free in the UK
  • BFI Player
  • Plex
More options Data from JustWatch
Directed by
Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
Genres
Documentary, Music
Starring
Poly Styrene, Celeste Bell, Ruth Negga
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • melancholicstrength 2 of 3
  • earneststrength 2 of 3
  • warmstrength 1 of 3
  • tensestrength 1 of 3
Pacing
measured, 2 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • grief
  • identity
  • family
  • music
  • memory
Places
  • big city
  • home
Era
contemporary
Audience
adult
Form
  • documentary
  • true story
  • nonlinear
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence none
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action1
Horror0
Humour3
Realism9
Romance1
Tension3
Darkness4
Complexity5
Emotional weight7

More like this

Titles like Poly Styrene: I Am a Cliché

Short film

Behind the Smile

2025

An intimate, gently melancholic archive of a musician's private world, warm with family footage and homemade whimsy.

Melancholic · about grief and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • grief
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
32 min
Details
Behind the SmileHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

I Am: Celine Dion

2024

An intimate, emotionally raw portrait that balances vulnerability with resilience, offering a behind-the-scenes look at a superstar's private struggle.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and music · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • music
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
103 min
Details
I Am: Celine DionHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Reclaiming Amy

2021

A tender, sorrowful remembrance that feels like sitting with a grieving family as they share raw memories and music.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
59 min
Details
Reclaiming AmyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley

2025

A hushed, intimate memorial that lets archival voices and music carry a bittersweet ache long after it ends.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and identity · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • identity
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details
It's Never Over, Jeff BuckleyHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Billie Eilish: The World's a Little Blurry

2021

An intimate, fly-on-the-wall portrait that immerses you in the whirlwind of sudden fame, creative passion, and teenage vulnerability.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
140 min
Details
Billie Eilish: The World's a Little BlurryHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Less of a Stranger

2026

A measured, music-filled portrait that balances the thrill of performance with the quiet weight of personal loss.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and identity · true story

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • identity
  • true story
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
120 min
Details
Less of a StrangerHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Miss Americana

2020

An intimate, quietly emotional portrait that lets you sit close to a superstar as she wrestles with fame, self-image and finding her voice.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
85 min
Details
Miss AmericanaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Janis: Little Girl Blue

2015

A warm, bittersweet portrait of a blazing talent, carried by her own letters and electrifying performance footage.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and identity · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • identity
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
106 min
Details
Janis: Little Girl BlueHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Ninho: Fame Ain’t Worth It

2026

A reflective, intimate portrait that lets you sit with a star's doubts and the cost of his rise.

Melancholic, earnest · about identity and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • identity
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
Ninho: Fame Ain’t Worth ItHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Love, Antosha

2019

A tender, bittersweet portrait that lingers on a young life cut short, moving between joy and quiet heartbreak.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and identity · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • identity
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
92 min
Details
Love, AntoshaHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

One More Time with Feeling

2016

A stark, black-and-white plunge into grief and creative work, slow and raw, asking you to sit with sorrow rather than be entertained.

Melancholic, earnest · about grief and family · documentary

Via
  • melancholic
  • earnest
  • grief
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
slow-burn
Attention
demanding
Runtime
113 min
Details
One More Time with FeelingHidden from your suggestions.
Movie

Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.

2018

An intimate, archival scrapbook that drifts between playful and defiant, letting a restless artist's own footage carry the story.

About identity and family · documentary

Via
  • identity
  • family
  • documentary
Pacing
measured
Attention
engaged
Runtime
95 min
Details
Matangi / Maya / M.I.A.Hidden from your suggestions.

Where to watch in the UK

Free
  • BFI Player
  • Plex
Rent
  • BFI Player
Buy
  • Apple TV Store
  • Rakuten TV
  • Amazon Video
  • YouTube

Streaming data from JustWatch.All options on TMDB

Details

Genres
documentary, music
Directed by
Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
Written by
Zoë Howe, Celeste Bell, Paul Sng
Starring
Poly Styrene, Celeste Bell, Ruth Negga, Neneh Cherry, Youth, Bruno Aleph Wizard, Kathleen Hanna, Thurston Moore
Runtime
96 min
Country
United Kingdom
Languages
English

TMDBIMDbLetterboxdWikipediaWikidata