Shoplifters of the World: Unite and Take Over
I have a memory like an elephant. To an extent that I even have memories way back from when I was two. Most of the time it feels like a curse, though sometimes it is an absolute bliss. Back in high school, during golden lights, just like every other kid who felt like an outsider just realized he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders (I know.) did, hoping for a better world, I discovered The Smiths. Or I must say, I ‘rediscovered’ them. There was this foggy memory fluttering in my mind, begging me to help come to light. All I had remembered was that me, at the age of three or four, focusing on an advert on TV and being mesmerized in the most indescribable way by ‘How Soon Is Now’ playing background. I had kept telling myself ‘a jeans ad cut between a couple of kids sheltering from a heavy storm and Native Americans doing a rain-dance,’ which made no sense, because why? But, also, when it comes to The Smiths, why not? I searched everywhere for it, though it was nowhere to find. Years later, one night I searched for it again and came across a topic opened on The Smiths forum, asking for the exact ad I was looking for. I quickly scrolled down. And there it was, I found out that someone just, literally a couple of days ago, uploaded the ad. Turns out it was Pepe Jeans ad from back in 1987. First it seemed weird because I was born five years after that, then I realized that ad must have been featured late in my country like any other ads at that time. Finally, I found the light, the light that never goes out.
Around the year I found the origin of my The Smiths infatuation, turned into love by the time of progress, I’ve seen the news of the pre-production of a movie about the intention* of hijacking a radio station in 1987. After hearing the breakup of The Smiths, crashed by horrible burden of time, a group of friends spends the night that open their eyes while a young man who works at a record store decides to hold hostage the radio broadcaster at gunpoint and wants him to play The Smiths the whole night in order to commemorate the end of the one of the greatest bands ever. Because you know, who wouldn’t? For a decade, I refreshed the movie’s IMDb page every other five or six months, because I knew it was going to happen someday. Casts have changed at least three times. During that time, I got huge drunk at my prom, moved to another city, dropped out of the university, started studying in another university, followed my dreams of becoming a filmmaker, accepted myself and came out to the whole world, changed a few apartments, got a group of friends I used to wish for, wanted the one I can’t have, fell in love for the first and still to me the last time in my life, got my heart broken, dreamed that somebody loved me, tried going vegan, failed miserably, witnessed to my friends becoming successful and hated it, all these waiting for the movie go into production already. I thought it was one of those movies that passes one generation to another to happen. Then one day I came across the trailer of it, and started tingling with excitement. It was really happening this time, when this joke wasn’t funny anymore.
Shoplifters of the World is not your usual nostalgic ’80s movie because it is actually reflecting those times with its good and bad. This movie might be the first movie that made me wish to live during that time, but also remind me of an emerging plague by calling out Reagan for not mentioning the word ‘AIDS’ yet and talking about the organization ACT UP, even if it is a small talk in a women’s bathroom. We all know how deep every talk is in there. When I said, it was not your nostalgic ’80s movie, I wasn’t kidding. Some thinks it doesn’t feel like the ’80s. Neither did the late ’80s, though. Shoplifters of the World has more of Rebel Without a Cause vibe than Pretty in Pink, which seems pretty accurate to me. Anyone who feels like ‘the other’ or ‘queer (in so many ways)’ in a generation wants to be like the previous generations, as if that would change the feeling of otherness. As Cleo, played earnestly by Helena Howard, pointed out ‘Is that supposed to be our lives?’ in the middle of the movie, mentioning Molly Ringwald in Pretty in Pink. I love John Hughes movies, but boy, do I hate the test audience of Pretty in Pink. They were going to end that movie with the girl ending up with the guy who listens to The Smiths, but she ends up with the jock because the test audience wanted it so. And yeah, his sexuality was questionable, but still. Is it really so strange?
‘Don’t forget the songs that made you cry, or the songs that saved your lives.’ says Full Metal Mickey (extraordinarily played by Joe Manganiello with his brilliant comic timing) as ‘Rubber Ring’ playing background. The movie keeps cutting between the teens saying goodbye to the end of an era and the hostage in the radio station, which surprisingly has been more interesting. Probably because of my age now. Dean, the hijacker (Ellar Coltrane, who harshly embodies the role) and Mickey become gradually vulnerable with other as the night goes on, and exchange thoughts on music, relationships, life, and death. Growing apart from his wife because of his love for music and the lifestyle he feels comfortable in, Mickey gets what Dean’s deal is. When everything feels like falling apart, when you can’t even open up to your friends, your mother about feeling the soil failing over your head, you hear a song, especially in your teenage years, and then you don’t feel as lonely as before. Some finds off-putting what you’ve been through, but you feel some kind of a connection between the person singing that song on the radio, or on the app you’re listening to that song nowadays. In a way, you go on a journey to accept yourself.
While Dean is making a martyr of himself for the love of The Smiths, fans of the band, Cleo (Helena Howard), Sheila (Elena Kampouris), Billy (Nick Krause) and Patrick (Nick Bloor) spend their last night in the town together and go to a pub, a party, and a gay bar where they feel full of themselves. They get drunk, dance, quote Oscar Wilde, get their hearts broken, get attacked by the town’s bullies, and saved by the queers in front of the gay bar, which is quite awesome, showing the support within the community. They even have the essential ‘Am I weird?’ moment of every coming of age movies in their original way, as Billy says to Patrick that he feels like his insides and outsides don’t match, and Patrick tells him that he had taken down all the mirrors in his house, which is a version of ‘Everyone’s weird.’ It is such a delicate display of isolation and self-questioning. Even grown up with each other, collected beautiful memories together, some may walk without ease on the streets where they were raised and feels like they had no one ever.
As the night moves, Cleo and Sheila have a heart-to-heart talk about misery, future, and sex with full of confessions. The ways they express themselves to each other and to the world are such unapologetic and powerful that it doesn’t feel forced at all, which is rare in our times. Cleo, the heart of the gang, who has such an admiration for philosophical and revolutionary sense of French (just like we did in high school) tells about the truth behind the so-called boy who waits for her in France. (again, literally same) as Sheila openes up to her about the orgasms, the love she longs for. Sheila dresses and acts like Madonna, but she is not comfortable when people find this similarity, not because of Madonna herself, but because of the image media and public put her in. Cut to Dean and Mickey, as Meat is Murder starts playing, we see an interview of The Smiths, in which Morrissey talks about the band’s manifesto, how the popular music should be used in order to make serious statements because of the masses they could reach and the huge potential of raising people’s level of consciousness. It is a full circle in Dean and Patrick’s conversation as that’s the reason why Dean was there in the first place. Just like the reason why Hang the DJ was written, Morrissey always protested the vapidity of the groundless music. Which is the case in every generation, basically. However, as Dean sticks to his beliefs and his love for The Smiths, Mickey gently warns him. ‘One day your heroes are going to grow old, change and say stupid things that betray the past.’ he says. Have you heard that Morrissey? You sweet and tender hooligan.
Directed by Stephen Kijak, Shoplifters of the World is not only a testament to The Smiths fans, but also the ones who are longing for the good music, the music that suffering little children genuinely listen to. One of those movies you wish you had the chance to see when you were in high school. We’ll probably never learn about the whole truth behind the actual story or meet the charming man who intended to hijack the radio station for the love of The Smiths, but didn’t have the chance to witness how people would be listening and appreciating the truth behind the lyrics like Dean did. Sincerest thanks to Kijak, with this long-awaited movie, he not only went down in musical history, but also movie history. Shout out to shoplifters of the world, unite and take over!
