The Go-Go’s (2020, dir. Alison Ellwood)

Sex, drugs, and punk rock. Alison Ellwood’s documentary has proved that gender has no role in the punk scene. As the documentary’s title would suggest The Go-Go’s follows the first all-female band The Go-Go’s on their rise and fall from fame. Through one to one interviews with the band members, the real and honest truths of the cost of living your dreams are reviled. By interviewing both the past and present Go-Go’s band members it is clear to see that their journey to fame wasn’t without its casualties. Their band like Doctor Who had to regenerate to reach their full level of popularity. Steeped in pop-culture, from both sides of the Atlantic, The Go-Go’s heavily relies on the band’s music catalogue to create the tone of the film. 

Despite the in-depth interviews of the band, I felt like the documentary lacked input from the fans that help to catapult them into stardom. Instead, it greatly focused on interviewing those closest to them, by doing this I believed it lacked an outsider perspective, which made it hard to connect with them as individual entities.   

This film embodies female empowerment and the fun expression of freedom that comes with this. By using pop art graphics and animations, the colour and spirit of the 80s is injected into this powerful film and becomes a perfect watch for anyone with a love for music. 

Written by Hope Rowden