The Posters Came From the Walls

Audience Reviews

View All (1) audience reviews

Audience Member by Nina Romain for remotegoat on 14/12/09 All fans can be a little wild and wonderful, and Depeche Mode fans are no exception. Co-directed by Turner Prize winning artist Jeremy Deller and filmmaker Nicholas Abrahams, this documentary is a playful look at the crazier Mode-ites out there, whether they are lipsynching along around a campfire "somewhere in a forest in Moscow" according to the subtitles, or bewailing the trauma of not finding any cheap black nailvarnish for a concert. They daydream about the group's hometown of Basildon, creating a vision of picturesque smalltown cosiness (prompting a few giggles from the audience). For comparison, we then meet a real life Basildon fan, surrounded by some unflattering shots of concrete malls in Essex. However, it is mainly shot in Europe and the States, where we see an American marching band, surreally dancing and forming the letters "dm" during a lively performance of "Master and Servant". Another fan revists the Warehouse in-store LA, and tells of sleeping in a queue for days to see the band in their heyday in the 80s and of the riots that then took place. There of course has to be the staples of any fanbase, such as the fan with 500 Tshirts of the band and the female fan dressed as a male band member - although that is a little unfair since lead songwriter Martin Gore has always made a point of playing up his androgynous good looks. There is also home video of the first fan-organised events such as "Dave Day". However, beneath the hair bleach and enthusiastic singalongs, there is a serious side, including the Tehran, where fans may be beaten up for listening to their music in a country that has banned all Western music since the Cultural Revolution. In Britain, the band is such a strong part of UK music background now, that the some churches holds services involve their music to a crowd of appreciative Goths. There's an otherwise-fairly-normal couple who dress up their infant son in Dave Gahan's robes and crown from Enjoy the Silence; another fan with a book full of cartoons she's drawn about the band as cartoon characters; create portraits of the band in sequins. And then of course there's the poets: "Don't edit this" one fan says to camera before reading out Higher Love song lyrics in Russian; "And translate it even if it's shocking". But behind all the loopiness, there's a sense of musical fraternity and the fun and liberation this Essex band has brought them. Now, where's my black nail varnish? Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews

The Posters Came From the Walls

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW