From the Vaults: Sounds Like Teen Spirit

Eurovision is a strange beast.
Its unique blend of politics, music and campy weirdness, well, doesn't make much sense when trying to explain to people who haven't grown up with it.
It's brought us ABBA, Celine Dion and Riverdance. (erm, yeah, sorry about that)

And Junior Eurovision  is another class entirely.
To British viewers it has echoes of Minipops, a questionable Channel 4 show showing pre-teens belting out tunes.
But JE (as nobody calls it) isn't quite as creepy.
Though, as documentary Sounds Like Teen Spirit shows, it's still most odd.

Just as Spellbound uses the Spelling Bee competition to explore the social strata of America, Sounds Like Teen Spirit covers Europe. From the wealthy middle classes in Belgium to the humbling poverty of Georgia.
And, like Spellbound, there are some awesome characters. Cypriot Yiorgos and Bulgarian Marina are both heartbreaking and hilarious in equal measure.
And the Belgian contingent is incredibly funny.

Director Jamie Jay Johnson tells a great story, though, to be honest, the very occasional history lessons are distracting and not as funny as intended.
The excitement of Miriam from Georgia is infectious and acts as an excellent counterpoint to the antics of the wealthier contestants.
And the crazy intensity of some of the others (hello, Russia).
There are some cheap laughs and real oddities, like the Dalton Sisters. But there are also touching moments, some big and some small (like Eva's body language when discussing her band's future).
It's a great little movie and a good warm-up to this year's Eurovision.