We Are Poets (2012)
Six teenage members of the performance poetry collective Leeds Young Authors travel to Washington D.C. to compete in poetry contest Brave New Voices, where they must somehow stay true to their own complex, uniquely British poetry whilst grappling the 'he who shouts loudest' mode of the competition. Brimming with ideas and yes, with excellent poetry, each member of Leeds Young Authors has much to tell us all about being young, and living here and now. An inspirational film, and ample proof if it were ever needed that words can indeed uplift and change lives.
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The acting in this movie is really good.
Unshakable, witty and deeply felt, the film will be paying emotional dividends for a long, long time.
All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.
One of the film's great tricks is that, for a time, you think it will go down a rabbit hole of unrealistic glorification.
Energetic and concise account of six young poets emerging from the Leeds Young Authors project, and heading for Washington DC to compete with the best and brightest young Americans in the prestigious poetry slam contest. Beginning with a brilliant slow motion montage of everyday Leeds set against the verse of "I come from" by Joseph Buckley, the film is lyrical and engagingly positive. The youngsters are all likable, articulate and capable of impressive focus when transforming their emotions into verse. The rhythms of their poetry have more in common with rap than Shelley or T S Eliot, raising the question of how their poetic talent will mature. A tantalising and oddly inspiring glimpse of what poetry can mean to teenagers.