Backbeat

In 1960, a group of five young English musicians travelled to Hamburg to join the lively local rock scene. They were The Beatles - John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Pete Best ... and John's best friend, Stuart Sutcliffe. Performing in seedy night clubs on the infamous Reeperbahn, they soon acquired a local reputation for their raw, energetic, irreverent style. One of the leading lights of Hamburg's artistic community, photographer Astrid Kirchnerr, is taken to hear The Beatles by her boyfriend and falls immediately for fthe one who looks like James Dean. Bass player Stuart Sutcliffe, himself a highly promising painter, is equally bowled over by Astrid. The two grow ever closer, linked by love and art, Astrid becoming the model for Stuart's paintings - he for her photographs. John, however, is consumed with envy as he sees his friend drifting away. As fame approaches for The Beatles, Stuart is forced to decide between his deep loyalty to John and his love for Astrid, between rock 'n' roll and art, Liverpool and Hamburg. (official distributor synopsis)