Northern Soul (film)

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Northern Soul is a 2014 British historical film directed by Elaine Constantine. It tells the story of two Lancashire teenagers, Matt and John, whose lives change forever when they discover African-American soul music and the Northern soul dance culture in Britain. Set in 1974, they leave their ordinary lives behind to chase a dream: travel to the United States, find unknown soul records, and become top DJs on the Northern soul scene. Their dance-filled, sometimes dangerous quest tests their friendship.

The film stars Elliot James Langridge, Joshua Whitehouse, Antonia Thomas, Jack Gordon, James Lance, Christian McKay, Ricky Tomlinson, Lisa Stansfield, and Steve Coogan. It was produced by Debbie Gray with Stubborn Heart Films and Baby Cow Productions. Cinematography is by Simon Tindall, and Stephen Haren handled editing. Universal Pictures distributed the movie, which was released on 17 October 2014, runs 99 minutes, and is in English.

Northern Soul was a long-time passion project for writer-director Elaine Constantine, who, after being turned down by major UK funders, financed it with private investors and her own money. Universal later released it in distribution collaboration with Munro Film Services. Despite a short three-day theatrical window and a modest marketing push, the film achieved a wide UK release for a limited window, opening on 89 screens and reaching 120 screens over the opening weekend, with very high seat occupancy. It eventually played in nearly 300 cinemas and venues across the UK.

The film received positive notices. On Rotten Tomatoes it holds 76% from 38 critics, with the consensus that it overcomes a shaky narrative with a likable cast, strong 1970s atmosphere, and a killer soundtrack. Metacritic gives it 64 out of 100 based on 14 reviews, indicating generally favorable views. Guardian critic Mark Kermode praised it with four stars. Northern Soul won the NME Best Film Award in 2015.

The soundtrack reached No. 7 on the UK Compilation Chart. The film premiered at festivals, including a City to City selection at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival, and was released on Netflix in the United States on 2 December.