EIFF – EMO The Musical (2016) 94 mins ***

Ok, going to be upfront here.  This reviewer is so un-down-with-the-kids she had to google EMO.  For those similarly clueless it is short for emotional, a school of rock music which has confessional lyrics with punk overtones and the proponents looking like goths with kohl eyes and dyed black hair slicked with grease.  So now you know.

EMO the Musical is a joyful romp.  Ethan (Benson Jack Anthony) is so desperate to be part of an EMO band that he fakes his own hanging and is expelled from his traditional school.  Moving to Seymour High he meets a more diverse student body: he is approached by the happy clappy Christian group with beautiful Trinity (Jordan Harel) but aspires to join EMO band Worst Day Ever, who are out to win the local best band competition.  He and Trinity fall for one another but the prejudice and hypocrisy of the opposing music groups gets in the way.

Adapted from his short film of the same name, which appeared at EIFF 2014, Neil Triffett directs a funny, clever movie which seeks to challenge stereotypes and promote tolerance.  He penned the screenplay and he also wrote the music along with Charlotte Nicdao and Craig Pilkington.  I mean, as the song asks, ‘Could Jesus have been an EMO?”!

Give yourself a pat on the back if you spotted the titles of three young people’s films in the first paragraph!

See it:

Wednesday 28th June 2030 Odeon 2

Saturday 1st July 1310 Odeon 2