Monday, September 29, 2008

Love You More- Buzzcocks and teen love

Though her upcoming Lennon bio-pic is what most people know her for, Sam Taylor-Wood should also be known for her 15-minute short film Love You More (written by Patrick Marber, who also wrote the Joy Division bio-pic Control).

Plotted around the Buzzcocks single of the same name, it tells the story of a budding affair between two teens. They know each other from school but haven't connected until straight-laced Peter (Harry Treadaway, who appears as Steve Morris in Control) sees punk-styled Georgia (Andrea Riseborough) scribbling the band's name in her notebook. He goes searching for the single (which would date this in June '78) and runs into her at the record shop, where they silently decide to pinch the only copy from the jerky store owner, running past another customer (who happens to be Buzzcocks singer Peter Shelley).

He reluctantly goes back to her place to listen and at first, they sit around smoking and drinking silently but it's obvious that there is some kind of latent chemistry going on. The second time they listen to the song, she demands that he gobs in her face, which he reluctantly obliges. She does the same as they break out in laughter and spontenously molest each other. He's a neophyte but game and they go at it at least once more as the song plays again. Meanwhile, the song's lyrical confusion about love comes to the fore and lines like "I'm not a child" make all the more sense now. "I didn't know you loved me," he confesses. "I don't," she shrugs after sharing another cigarette.

They walk out on the street hand-in-hand and suddenly he seems transformed, a little cooler with a girl by his side and a pair of shades on. He uncomfortably says goodbye but then runs back for a smooch. He comes back to his balcony to see her sitting there, smoking again. "What about the B-side?" he yells down to her. She assures him that they'll listen to it tomorrow and then she walks away smiling. The film ends as we hear the B-side itself, "Noise Annoys."

All of which makes me look forward to that Lennon film...

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