All Is By My Side
classified 15Please note: This was screened in Nov 2014
An absorbing, provocative and wholly original portrait of Jimi Hendrix as fledgling legend, John Ridley's (screenwriter of 12 Years A Slave) directorial debut features Outkast's André Benjamin as the supremely gifted young guitarist in the throes of self discovery. Jimi (or Jimmy as he was known then) is discovered by Linda Keith (Imogen Poots), girlfriend of Keith Richards, playing backing guitar in a New York club. Impressed by his skills, she brings him into her inner circle, unlocks his mind with LSD, persuades him to move to London - and falls in love. Here we are immersed in his life, hanging out at home and clubs as he expands his musical horizons and picks his bandmates, and this Jimi Hendrix experience is somehow richer for being relaxed and behind the scenes (one critic said that if Robert Altman had made a '60s rock star biopic, this is what it would look like). Ridley wasn't able to get the rights to any of Hendrix's songs, but it hardly matters - Benjamin delivers an uncanny performance, all cheekbones and feline insolence, and it is clear All Is By My Side has Hendrix is not in sound, then certainly in spirit.
Ticket prices: Screenings before 16:00: £5.50 full/£4.00 concs. Screenings after 16:00: £8.00 full/£6.50 concs.