Jubilee

Queen Elizabeth I (Jenny Runacre) travels into the future with the help of her court astrologer’s magic: in the horrific England of 1978, her realm lies in ruins and on its last legs. Nihilistic punks are in power, and murder and sex are part of everyday life. After the murder of Elizabeth II—the title Jubilee refers to the celebrations of her 25th anniversary on the throne in 1977—the brutal gang leader Bod (also played by Runacre) has taken over the royal court.

Her all-female punk gangs spread fear and terror across the empire, whose men have been reduced to comic figures and sex objects. With a poeticized “anything goes” attitude, Derek Jarman embraces an original kind of underground excess, using style as a way to dismantle British traditions through a distorted contemporary mirror.

Despite cameo appearances by key figures from the scene, the film was even rejected by punks themselves—which, in a way, speaks in its favor. Today, it has long since become a cult classic of British cinema associated with the movement, not least for its music. (Christoph Huber)