Look Who it Was Random video

I USED TO BE NORMAL: A BOYBAND FANGIRL STORY clip | BFI London Film Festival 2018

907 views · Published 16 October 2018 · 0:30 · Indexed 7 October 2026

Channel: BFI · 2018 · Film & Animation

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To paraphrase the immortal words of Harry Styles, who’s to say that a teen girl’s musical taste is any less valuable than that of a 30-year-old hipster? In her documentary feature debut, director Jessica Leski doesn’t focus on the boybands themselves, but the adoration they inspire in women. The film centres on four from different generations (aged 14-64), diverse backgrounds and an array of boy band preferences – The Beatles, Backstreet Boys, Take That and One Direction. Fandom is presented as a valuable and valid rite of passage for women, and a way for them to define their own identity. This is particularly true in the case of first and second-generation immigrants. Exploding with colour and enthusiasm, you’ll start smiling from the very first shot of the felt-tip pen title credits.

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