Review
I have been waiting for this movie all my adult life. It is a reaffirmation of my personal history and that of my city Belfast. Punk made Belfast what it is today and the energy of the film reflects this. All aspects of the movie excel but for me personally it is the first accurate contemporary celluloid portrayal of my community – aggressive black humour dogged determination underpinned with old fashioned sentimentality and a lack of respect for the Establishment. Protestants in Northern Ireland are often portrayed as rather dour and unaesthetic. Whilst Catholics tend to be seen as more creative and artisticindeed Catholics are much more successful in the arts than Protestants. This in no way suggests that Protestants are discriminated against in the arts we are not but have simply been lagging behind until now. So it is no mean feat that that the Good Vibrations movie shows the Protestant community in a refreshingly healthy and artistic light. For the benefit of readers from outside of Northern Ireland the two main bands portrayed in the movie and their fans where Protestant as were the initial wave of local punk bands punk in Northern Ireland originated in the East Belfast Protestant heartland Terri Hooley (the owner of Good Vibrations) came from the Protestant community as did his partners in the record shop and the committee set up by Terry to run the famous Harp Bar were Protestant and of course the writers of the movie were Protestants. So I think that it is true to say that the Protestant ethic and history of rebellion fuelled the Northern Ireland punk scene from the start. Well done to all concerned.