Pirates (2021 | UK | 80 mins | Reggie Yates)
Three kids, Cappo, Two Tonne, and Kidda, From North London teeter on the edge of adulthood and the at the turn of the millennium and have their sights set on fame and fortune. Ready to kick off the new century and the rest of their lives with a crazy New Year’s Eve together, they’ll do anything to get tickets to the best party in town. As aspiring DJs with a pirate radio station at their fingertips and a growing fanbase (or at least they hope) this party is their ticket to making it out of their hometown and into the limelight, but their friend and manager drops a bomb on them that threatens the future they’ve planned.
A throwback and “wild night” adventure story all in one, Pirates plays to our craziest childhood dreams of the future. Standing at the cusp of adult life always brings uncertainty and fear, but at that age none of that seemed to keep us from pushing forward. As Y2K threatened to throw the world into chaos, Prince’s “1999” dominated the airwaves, and any kid in high school just wanted to make it through. Anything and everything could happen… or not happen, but with our closest friends at our side it would be OK.
While this story may not be as outrageous or chaotic as say The Hangover, that’s definitely the vibe. Breaking laws, taking risks, and cracking open old wounds were on order for the day with these three and they aren’t stopping at anything to get what they want.
The 90’s set decoration was strong and helped to pull you back in time, but otherwise it really could have happened at any time, not just 1999. While similar stories have been told many times, it didn’t seem to be completely old hat. An entertaining script and decent acting from the three young protagonists made Pirates worthwhile.
Pirates premiered in person on March 11 and virtually on March 12 at SXSW Film 2022. Be sure to check out all the SXSW 2022 Sunbreak Coverage