Is It Really So Strange?

I confess I never latched onto The Smiths—fronted by lead singer Morrissey—during the 1980s, despite the fact that like much of the fanatical fan base profiled in this film, I was something of an angst-ridden high school misfit at the time. Ostensibly a study of the sexually, ethnically, and geographically diverse cult that worships Morrissey, Is It Really So Strange? also chronicles the personal journey of filmmaker William E. Jones, whose quest to come to terms with his own obsession drives this documentary (which incidentally shows very little of either The Smiths or Morrissey, with the exception of a few still photographs). Jones interviews dozens of fans, focusing in particular on a group of Latino youths in East Los Angeles, who talk about their lives and loves, as well as brief encounters (and even some disillusionment) with their idol Morrissey. In fact, these sons and daughters of Mexican immigrants find a connection between The Smiths' working-class Irish background and the James Dean outsider persona exemplified by their former frontman. Far from being an overwrought hagiography of a rock singer, this film offers a refreshingly honest and intimate analysis of a UK American idol, while also examining the power of popular culture to shape self-identity. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (A. Cantú)