“Some people think little girls should be seen and not heard…”

Poly Styrene was the first woman of color in the UK to front a successful rock band. She introduced the world to a new sound of rebellion, using her unconventional voice to sing about identity, consumerism, postmodernism, and everything she saw unfolding in late 1970s Britain, with a rare prescience. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the riot grrrl and Afropunk movements.

But the late punk maverick didn’t just leave behind an immense cultural footprint. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and her mother’s demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life, while their lasting trauma scarred Celeste’s childhood and the pair’s relationship. Featuring unseen archive material and rare diary entries narrated by Oscar-nominee Ruth Negga, this documentary follows Celeste as she examines her mother’s unopened artistic archive and traverses three continents to better understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother. Featuring commentary from Thurston Moore, Kathleen Hanna, Neneh Cherry, Viviene Westwood.

“More than a journeyman rockumentary, “Poly Styrene” is a thoughtfully finessed filial reckoning: a daughter’s journey toward understanding her mother as a young artist and as a young woman of color.” (New York Times)

“This is not a banal or mundane fake-objective music history doc: it’s an almost real-time chronicle of a daughter coming to grips with a mother’s legacy.” (RogerEbert.com)

“The best footage is of the performer up on stage at some grotty club, wailing into a microphone with her band thrashing behind her, and her fans flailing in front. She looks the way punk rockers are never supposed to look. She looks happy.” (National Post)

“A riveting and valuable documentary…” (The Guardian)

#MusicMonday, February 21
Doors 6:00 pm | Movie 6:30 pm *Start time subject to change. Please arrive on time.
Advance tickets $13 HERE | $13 at the door

*Minors permitted. Must be 19+ w/ID for bar service.
*Rio Theatre Groupons and passes OK for any single film screening only. Please redeem at the box office.
*If you are looking to redeem your tickets to either a canceled Rio Theatre screening or a Rio Theatre gift certificate, please email <[email protected]> with info including your name, canceled receipt number, gift certificate info, what you are wanting to see and when, and we can make the switch for you in advance. Alternately, you can bring this information with you to the venue, and we will do our best to help you at the box office.

In accordance with the Province of British Columbia’s current PHO from the Ministry of Health, all eligible patrons must present their proof of vaccine status for entry, and masks are to be worn at all times (except when seated). No exceptions.

POLY STYRENE: I AM A CLICHE (Celeste Bell, Paul Sng / 2021 / 89 mins / 14A) The death of punk icon and X-Ray Spex frontwoman Poly Styrene sends her daughter on a journey across the world and through her mother’s archives to reconcile their fraught relationship in this new documentary feature, featuring Oscar nominee Ruth Negga as the voice of Poly Styrene.