Bohemian Rhapsody

Freddie Got Figaro'd

When thinking about music which not only defined an era but has become irreversibly rooted in the collective subconscious, it’s hard to imagine a time when a certain band, album or track didn’t exist. In Bohemian Rhapsody we are transported back to such a time and given a chance to bear witness to the lives and events which led to the conception of Queen; surely one of the most universally recognised bands in history.

With the band’s legendary, godlike status in the present, the film holds an inherent dramatic leverage as it charts the trials and tribulations of the individuals responsible for creating a sound that feels like it’s always been there. In this way, parallels can be drawn from the other hugely successful musical biopic of recent times, Straight outta Compton: not least because both films occupy a similar timeline or handle the AIDs epidemic from a personal perspective, but more crucially because Bohemian Rhapsody presents another highly emotive and humanistic look at the music industry.

Like Straight Outta Compton focused mainly on Dr Dre’s experiences, Bohemian Rhapsody has Freddie Mercury’s story act as the meat and potatoes for the script. Much criticism has come from those who feel the film skirts around the more debauched and even malevolent side of Mercury’s life. However director Bryan Singer doesn’t shy away from portraying Queen’s front man as a deeply flawed individual. One of the key strengths of the film is the reverence with which Mercury is treated – as a man who left such an indelible mark on the world despite these flaws, even begging the question that he was perhaps only able to do so because of them.

Early on then, we meet a wide-eyed youngster called Farrokh (Rami Malek), who has a strained relationship with his family, is tentative and reserved. Despite his introversion, he has a natural talent for singing, song writing and performance, which gets him noticed by struggling musicians Brian May (Gwilym Lee), Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) and John Decon (Joseph Mazzello). From here Queen is essentially born, and with Farrokh’s creative injection the film charts the band’s meteoric rise to stardom.

It’s by no means plain sailing however, with spats against label execs (watch out for a barely recognisable Mike Myers bit-part) and constant squabbling. Scriptwriter Anthony McCarten handles the in-band politics with humour so that it never becomes a chore to watch, and the actors blend their character’s frustrations with a good-old dose of dry English wit. It’s fascinating to discover how the major songs were brought to life, mostly in a melting pot of clashing personality types, somehow coming together in chaotic alchemy to produce the We Will Rock Yous and titular Rhapsodies.

The idea that the band, despite their conflicts and differences are like a family makes the way Freddie starts to neglect those who care for him the most, all the more tragic. In an Oscar worthy turn, Rami Malek is utterly astounding in his physical performance where he absolutely nails the mannerisms, movements and voice of Mercury (all the more impressive while sporting hefty overbite prosthetics). Through the actor we also see a man struggling throughout most of his adult life with guilt and fear because of his sexuality.

It becomes clear that singing in the persona of Freddie is one of the few avenues where Farrokh is able to be expressively honest. Lyrics of classic songs take on new meaning after delving into Mercury’s emotional landscape. As Malek, alone on the piano, ad-libs and then uncontrollably belts the line ‘sometimes I wish I’d never been born at all’ before sitting back in shock, you realise the words carry unsettling truths from deep within him. As Freddie’s world begins to cave in, it is gut wrenching to watch the joyous naivety be squeezed out of his relationship with Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), a woman who he genuinely loves, whilst knowing he can’t be everything she needs him to be. Boynton gives a tenderness to her character, the only person who really knows Freddie and eventually making him see the vital necessity of being true to himself.

The Queen Live Aid performance acts as the anchor for the film, which makes sense as it was a crucial point in which the band had worked through their difficulties and Mercury had reached an epiphany with regards to accepting who he was. It’s interesting to think the now legendary performance may not have come about without such catharsis and the scene is imbued with a triumphal togetherness, acting as a captivating and emotionally charged crescendo. Malek inhabits his character with such energy you almost forget you are watching a recreation and not actual footage of the event. Here, performing in front of an exuberant crowd of 70,000, Freddie stands as a man who has momentarily laid his demons to rest and manifests his potential to the absolute fullest. He does what he was born to do. And as such becomes the hero he was, and still is, to so many.