BLUE STORY

THE story behind Blue Story is possibly even more remarkable than the resulting film. It was only early last year that British grime artist Rapman (aka Andrew Onwubolu) released Shiro’s Story on YouTube. A trilogy of short films set on his home turf, the mean streets of London’s Lewisham, it interwove dramatic scenes with monologues from Rapman himself, appearing as a Greek chorustype narrator.

It went viral, with part three clocking, up over a million views in five hours. Within days Rapman found himself caught up in a frenzied studio bidding war and flown out to LA, where Jay-Z personally signed him up to be managed by his Roc Nation label.

Based on Onwubolu’s own south London upbringing, Blue Story is basically Shiro’s Story blown up for the big screen. A classic coming-of-age morality tale, it follows two childhood pals from different sides of the postcode tracks. Hailing from Deptford, highschool pupil Timmy (Stephen Odubola) is a shy star pupil at his school, where he’s best mates with Marco (Michael Ward), a ghetto boy whose brother is a big noise from nearby Peckham. As the lads get older, their wider loyalties are tested. Rapman’s chorus lends a unique take on a narrative that’s otherwise overfamiliar, though that’s kind of the point: no matter how hard these disenfranchised kids struggle against the knives and drugs turning London ’hoods into a war zone, there’s no escaping their inevitable pull.

Rapman offers no solutions to these terrifying real-world problems. He’s got a message but he doesn’t preach it. His film is unsentimental and powerfully authentic.

THE VERDICT

YouTube drama Shiro’s Story goes large. For real