Ibiza: The Silent Movie

Anybody that’s been to the Spanish island of Ibiza will struggle to put their stay into words. It’s doubtful that any of them, however, would describe it as “silent”. The holiday destination is synonymous with parties and has become the playground of DJs, none having a more enjoyable time than Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim. The superstar DJ curated the soundtrack to this immersive delve into Ibiza’s not-so-silent history. Directed by the legendary Julien Temple (The Great Rock and Roll Swindle and many, many music videos), Ibiza – The Silent Movie looks further back than just Cook’s era of disco euphoria, providing audiences with a history lesson stretching back thousands of years.

So, the silent film is in fact quite noisy, as Temple splices footage new and old to build a gyrating story of Ibiza’s past and present, all shaking to music cherry-picked by one if the island’s favourite adopted sons. There’s plenty of footage from Cook’s most joyously bacchanal days – circa late nineties to early naughties – that’ll strike ravers with pangs of inspiration and excitement.

Those familiar with the Balearic sound, including those fortunate to have enjoyed it on one of the islands, will revel in a perfect soundtrack. Away from the music, the movie’s vision is both original and refreshing, its slight madness infectiously fun. Watch out for a superb cameo from the Happy Mondays’ Bez, playing the Egyptian god of fertility, hedonism and dance, Bes.

Ibiza – The Silent Movie is an ambitious project, a captivating crash course in the titular hotspot’s geographical, political and social history. But it still demands an interest in its niche genre and music scene. Without these, audience members may struggle to be gripped by a film that runs something like a compilation of Ibiza footage, which sometimes resembles a canny promotional video for the island.

Jake Cudsi

Ibiza: The Silent Movie is released in select cinemas on 5^th June 2019.

Watch the trailer for Ibiza: The Silent Movie here: