The Punk Syndrome review

What is punk?

Focused on a Finnish band whose members have learning difficulties, Jukka Kärkkäinen and J-P Passi’s rough, rousing and raucous rock-doc offers a pretty good answer.

Empowered by punk’s DIY idealism, where finesse matters less than making the unheard heard, Pertti Kurikka’s Name Day rage against prejudice with blunt but forthright expressive force.

The directors’ affecting yet non-sentimental verité approach suits the raw material, spurning ‘expert’ talking head commentary and letting the band speak (and scream) for themselves.

Best of all, the live footage pogos with purpose: in front of audiences tuned into punk’s outsider frequency, Name Day summon the rock’n’roll respect they deserve.