Poly Styrene: I Am A Cliché

Poly Styrene was the first woman of colour 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 ‘70s Britain. As the frontwoman of X-Ray Spex, the Anglo-Somali punk musician was also a key inspiration for the Riot Grrrl and Afropunk movements. She was survived by a daughter, Celeste Bell, who became the unwitting guardian of her mother’s legacy and demons. Misogyny, racism, and mental illness plagued Poly’s life and scarred Celeste’s childhood. Featuring the voice of Ruth Negga as Poly Styrene, the documentary follows Celeste as she tries to understand Poly the icon and Poly the mother.