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Poster for Absolute Beginners

Absolute Beginners

1986 · 108 min

A stylish, energetic musical that mixes romance and social tension with a vibrant 1950s London backdrop, sometimes uneven but always visually striking.

Directed by
Julien Temple
Genres
Drama, Music, Romance
Tagline
Welcome to the world of your dreams!
Overview
A musical adaptation of Colin MacInnes' novel about life in late 1950s London. Nineteen-year-old photographer Colin is hopelessly in love with model Crepe Suzette, but her relationships are strictly connected with her progress in the fashion world. So Colin gets involved with a pop promoter and tries to crack the big time. Meanwhile, racial tension is brewing in Colin's Notting Hill housing estate...

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Directed by
Julien Temple
Genres
Drama, Music, Romance
In your watch list

How it feels

Written by AI. It can be wrong.

Tone
  • whimsicalstrength 2 of 3
  • romanticstrength 2 of 3
  • satiricalstrength 2 of 3
  • melancholicstrength 1 of 3
Pacing
brisk, 3 of 4, from slow-burn to relentless
Attention
engaged, 3 of 4, from background-friendly to demanding
Themes
  • identity
  • love
  • race
  • class
  • ambition
Places
  • big city
  • home
Era
period
Audience
adult
Form
  • musical
Content intensity
  • Gore none
  • Language mild
  • Violence mild
  • Sex mild
All scales, 0 to 10
Scales, 0 to 10
ScaleValue0 to 10
Action3
Horror1
Humour5
Realism6
Romance6
Tension4
Darkness4
Complexity5
Emotional weight5

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Cast

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